For more than SEVEN decades, Pat Donaghey was part of the very fabric of the Drogheda Pantomime Society. Not always seen under the lights, but always present, always involved, and always making sure the show went on.
Pat’s daughter Gillian describes pantomime not simply as something her mother did, but something that shaped her life from the very beginning. “Mam was involved in the very first pantomime with her father Tec Caffrey, who was the panto dame,” she says. “The pantomime was her life, and I think it was a unique bond she formed with her Dad through their love of the stage.”
That bond extended through generations. What began with Pat and her father grew into a family tradition that continues today. “Mam got us all involved from a very early age,” Gillian recalls. “Our memories growing up are very much tied to the pantomime. Paula played the Fairy Queen one year, Sandra, Linda, Shirley and myself danced in it, and I continued to be part of the Society and still am today.”
The involvement never stopped. Gillian has danced with the Society since 1984 and has choreographed a number of shows. Her daughter Daisy is now part of it too, along with Anthony’s twin girls Molly and Darcy, aged seven. Anthony himself helped backstage alongside their father.
Behind the scenes, Pat was a constant presence. She looked after costumes for years and was known for doing things her own way. “Absolutely, she did things her way,” Gillian says. “If she didn’t want to do it, she didn’t. She would say her famous quote, ‘Indeedn’t I won’t’.”
That independence was matched with kindness and sharp humour. “Mam was very quick witted and kind,” Gillian says. “She did a lot for the people of Drogheda, and she was an excellent friend and neighbour.”
At home, pantomime season was part of everyday life. “From September, we’d be down at the Parochial Centre every day,” Gillian remembers. “Even if we were meant to be in school, if there was ever a day we weren’t, Mam would bring us down with her.”
Caring for others came naturally to Pat, something Gillian believes was learned early in life. “Her mother died quite young at 51,” she explains. “Mam had four children at the time and also took care of her brothers and her Dad. It just came naturally to her.”
Pat’s world revolved around three things. “Family, shows and the Newtown Blues,” Gillian says. “Those were the most important things in Mam’s life. She lived for each of them.”
Family was everything. Her house was always full, always busy, always open. “She loved having everyone around her,” Gillian says. “Her grandchildren were her world. She openly preferred the boys in the family and never hid this fact.”
There was also a side of Pat that only those closest to her truly knew. The trips to London. The endless searches for material. The scissors. “All I will say is material, London and scissors,” Gillian laughs. “The people involved in panto will know exactly what I mean. Gaye, Bernie, Annette, Marian, Doreen and anyone who went on trips with her to buy material for costumes.”
When Pat passed away, the response from the Society and the wider Drogheda community was overwhelming. “She would have been absolutely delighted,” Gillian says. “And the fact she made the national papers too. If she could ring Bernie and Gaye, her best friends, she would be thrilled telling them.”
As the Drogheda Pantomime Society marks its 75th anniversary, Gillian has no doubt what her mother would say. “She was very proud of being part of the Society and never afraid to speak her mind. She would tell you straight if a dance or song wasn’t good. Fiona will vouch for this. She would tell anyone she met that she was the longest serving member of the Society, because she told us regularly, and that’s something we are very proud of as a family.”
When asked what she hopes people will remember most about her mother, Gillian’s answer is simple and unwavering. “Her fierce love for her family, her love of the pantomime, and her love of the Newtown Blues.”
Pat Donaghey’s legacy lives on not just in memory, but on stage, backstage, and through the generations who continue to follow the path she helped create. As the Drogheda Pantomime Society would sing, “Everywhere you go, sunshine follows you, Everywhere you go the skies are always blue. Children love you they seem to know, You bring roses out of the snow. The whole world says hello, Everywhere you go.”
Rest in Peace, Pat.
