Writing
Deirdre is author of “Irish Moves – an illustrated history of Dance and Physical Theatre in Ireland” and “Orientalism, Orientation, and the Nomadic Work of Pina Bausch” (her PhD). As well as her freelance journalism for top Irish publications, Deirdre has contributed to several books on theatre, dance, and to RTE Sunday Miscellany Anthologies. Deirdre’s creative memoir essay “Dream, Comfort, and Memory to Spare” appeared in Belfield Literary Review 2021, and her groundbreaking 76 page essay “Fail Better: Lucia Joyce and the Abbey Theatre Ballets” appeared in Joyce Studies Annual in 2022, and as a standalone publication in December 2024. She is currently developing her Lucia Joyce project further into a creative non-fiction with the support of a Literature Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland, a 2024 artist’s residency at Centre Culturel Irlandais, and a mentoring award from Irish Writer’s Centre.
Among other projects, Deirdre is developing a biography of enigmatic Irish-German 1940s Modern Dance pioneer, Erina Brady. Deirdre’s biographical essay ‘Erina Brady: Irish-German Harbinger of Modern Dance to 1940s Ireland’ appeared in Cultural Translators: Irish-German Biographies (Trier: WVT Verlag, 2015), and a subsequent chapter ‘Erina Brady: Mary Wigman’s Irish Disciple?’, in Dance and Modernism in Irish and German Literature and Culture: Connections in Motion (Lexington Books, 2019). Prestigious Berlin publication Tanz Magazin translated Deirdre’s script for her TG4 documentary “Damhsa na hÉigeandála” to German and published it in English and German. The Goethe Institute Dublin published a shorter bilingual version. Deirdre also enjoyed writing about sculptor Danny Osborne’s work with Lava in the 2010 book “Red Hot Lava Sculpture”.
Orientalism, Orientation, and the Nomadic Work of Pina Bausch, 2002
Frankfurt: Peter Lang GmbH, 2002; Dublin: Grand Canal Publishing, 2015.
Deirdre’s ground-breaking PhD thesis exploring and transcribing German choreographer Pina Bausch’s “city-pieces” Viktor, Palermo, Palermo, Ein Trauerspiel, and Tanzabend 2 in light of Said’s theory of Orientalism and Fromm’s books “To Have or to Be” and “The Fear of Freedom” was published by Peter Lang in 2002. An ebook version was published by Grand Canal Publishing in 2015 and is available for purchase for €25. Email deirdremulrooney@gmail.com for details.
Irish Moves, 2006
Dublin: The Liffey Press, 2006
An Illustrated history of dance and physical theatre in Ireland. Signed first edition copies accompanied by select multimedia DIGITAL BONUS updates are available for €25 + postage. Email deirdremulrooney@gmail.com for details.
“Irish Moves broadens our notion of what ‘Irish dance’ can mean… there is a truth in the body that exists outside of narrative and of language. Irish Moves admirably excavates that truth.”
-Rebecca Troeger, New Hibernia Review
“Ground-breaking and provocative”
-Joe Jackson, Hot Press
“…an engaging and highly readable story of a neglected area of our cultural history… Creating an awareness of dance history, Deirdre Mulrooney’s book has made a timely appearance.”
-Seona Mac Reamoinn, Magill Magazine
RTÉ Sunday Miscellany
A Selection from 2004 – 2006
Deirdre’s radio essay was entitled “Yoko Ono Says Yes” on running in to Yoko Ono in Paris while interning for Paris Passion Magazine. That was fun!
RTÉ Sunday Miscellany
A Selection from 2006 – 2008
Deirdre contributed a radio Essay entitled “Everything Happens for a Reason”, on how she ended up visiting Danny Osborne and his family up in the Canadian Arctic, and what a small world it can be.
An Auld Cockle Picker
by Percy Lovegrove (2009)
Deirdre was honoured to contribute the foreword to Percy Lovegrove’s autobiography. She recounted the extraordinary story of his late wife Doreen Cuthbert who was an original dancer in WB Yeats’ and Ninette de Valois’ Abbey Theatre Ballets (1927 to 1933) and subsequently brought the Royal Academy of Dancing syllabus to Kenya in the 1950s.
Theatre Talk (2002)
Voices of Irish Theatre Practitioners
Theatre Stuff (2000)
Critical Essays on Contemporary Irish Theatre edited by Eamonn Jordan
Deirdre contributed an essay on the work of Tom Mac Intyre entitled “Tom Mac Intyre’s text-ure”.
The Theatre of Mac Intyre – Strays from the Ether (2010)
edited by by Bernadette Sweeney & Marie Kelly
Deirdre contributed an interview with Tom MacIntyre, John Scott and Carolyn Swift on the Peacock Theatre Production of “You Must Tell the Bees”.