Jennifer Johnston 1930 - 2025
The Lyric is very sad to learn of the passing of the great Irish novelist Jennifer Johnston.
Jennifer served for many years on the board of the Lyric Theatre. Originally from Dublin, Jennifer moved to Derry in the 1970s and became a vibrant and energising presence in the arts community here. Her work was rich and economical, urgent and unflinching, as she engaged with themes detailing with women's struggle for independence from the roles traditionally expected of them, the dysfunction of society, and the pressure of the past on the present. She was a mentor and inspiration for many young Northern Ireland artists at a time when things looked hopeless—tirelessly devoting her time to theatre companies such as the Lyric and the young Tinderbox Theatre Company.
The Lyric produced a number of works by or adapted from Jennifer's work including Indian Summer (1983) starring Ciarán Hinds and Ingrid Craigie, The Desert Lullaby (1996) starring Stella McCusker, Good Night Irene (2007) and How Many Miles to Babylon? (1993) starring Stuart Graham and Eleanor Methven, and again in 2014 to mark 100 years from the outbreak of the First World War starring Ryan McParland and Catherine Cusack.
The former Lyric chairman, Mark Carruthers, paid tribute to Jennifer Johnston:
‘Jennifer made a huge contribution to the cultural life of this place over many years, not least through the time she spent on the board of the Lyric. She cared deeply about the place the theatre occupied in the wider arts landscape and she was never shy about making her views known. Several memorable productions of her work were staged at the Lyric and she took obvious pleasure in that. Jennifer was also a great encourager of the next generation and the time she spent on the board of Tinderbox was greatly valued by those of us who served alongside her, where she enthusiastically acted as both sounding board and advocate. Every summer for many years she threw a party for the wider Tinderbox family who, toddlers in tow, were wined and dined in and around her home outside Derry. While she was highly regarded as the writer of a raft of fine novels and plays – and rightly so – Jennifer was also a quiet but formidable champion of the arts, and for that we owe her a huge debt of gratitude.’
We offer our condolences to Jennifer's family and many friends.
L-R Indian Summer (1983), How Many Miles to Babylon? (2014)