Mary McEvoy

Mary McEvoy is an Irish actress born in Delvin, Co. Westmeath in 1954.

Mary is most famous for playing the character of Biddy Byrne in Glenroe from 1983-2000. A role in television that brought her success as being one of the most recognised actresses on Irish television during the 1980's and 1990's.

Before becoming an actress Mary was employed at the Department of Agriculture in Dublin for four years. She worked as a serological assistant testing for brucellosis. She then left this position to return to work on her father's farm in Delvin. She then moved back to Dublin and she got a job as a runner at the Dublin Theatre Festival during the early 1980's and then studied acting at the Oscar Theatre School. She then landed parts in two plays at the Gate Theatre before she auditioned for Glenroe. The audition came down to three actresses and because she had a license to drive tractors was the reason she was selected for the part of Biddy Byrne who was a farmer.

During her years on the show her storlines involved marrying Miley the farmer and having two daughters, losing her faith in religeon, having one of her daughters survive from meningitis and also finding out that her husband Miley slept with her cousin Fidelma.

Mary was also famous for doing Surf Washibg Powder Tv Advertisement's during the 1990's and 2000's.

In 2000 after seventeen years Mary decided to leave the show and her character Biddy Byrne was killed off in a road accident in May 2000.

After she left the show mary trained as a TEFL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) teacher, and spent a year teaching students in France where Mary owns a home in Paris.

In 2007 & 2008 Mary featured on The Podge & Rodge Show as a guest and as a presenter for one episode.

In 2009 on the documentary Would You Believe Mary revealed that she suffered many years from depression where she still takes medication for. She also revealed that she is a buddhist. Mary has been in a relationship with musician Garvan Gallagher for 23 years.

After leaving Glenroe Mary has featued in the plays Sive, The Matchmaker, The Chastitute, The Vagina Monologues, Shirely Valentine, Whippy and Jo Bangles.