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Maureen O' Sullivan
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Miss O' Sullivan was born in what is now Sheerin's, Main Street Boyle, on May 17th 1911. Her father of Cork background was an officer in the British army regiment, The Connacht Rangers who were stationed in Boyle in the imposing military barracks just a few yards away. Her mother's family were Frazer's of Scottish background. With the onset of the 1914 - 1918 war her father was away for long periods so the Sullivan family moved to the maternal home at Riversdale Knockvicar, which is two miles from our school (Cootehall N.S.) 'My memories of those days will never leave me' she once commented. She attended convent schools in Dublin and England where one of her classmates was Vivien Leigh who became famous as Scarlet O ' Hara in Gone with the Wind. While Maureen was living in Dublin the American film producer/ director Frank George saw her. He cast her in her first film " Song of my Heart". Later she was cast in the role with which she became identified that of Jane in the Tarzan series of films. Indeed Miss O ` Sullivan was the most enduring of all in this role. In between her roles as Jane Miss O Sullivan stared with many of great stars of the cinema of the period. Miss O Sullivan met and married Australian film producer/ director John Farrow and they had seven children. One of her daughters, Mia Farrow, was to become particularly well known. Miss O' Sullivan's first husband, John Farrow died suddenly in 1963 but in 1985 however, romance blossomed again. In1988 Maureen and her husband James Cushina came to Riversdale House and stayed there for three days. On 8/8/1988 Maureen planted a monkey-puzzle tree in Boyle.She planted this to be remembered.