Sean O\’casey Blue Plaque

About This Blue Plaque

Sean O’Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist who became one of the leading playwrights of the 20th century. Born in Dublin in 1880, O’Casey grew up in a working-class family and faced poverty and hardship from a young age. Despite leaving school at 14 to work various jobs, he pursued a passion for writing and became involved in the Irish nationalist movement.

O’Casey’s early plays, such as “The Shadow of a Gunman” (1923), “Juno and the Paycock” (1924), and “The Plough and the Stars” (1926), vividly depicted the struggles and aspirations of Dublin’s working class during the Irish Revolutionary period. These works established him as a major literary figure and a powerful voice for social change. O’Casey’s later plays, including “The Silver Tassie” (1928) and “Within the Gates” (1934), expanded his range and addressed broader themes of war, religion, and the human condition.

In 1926, O’Casey moved to England due to controversy surrounding his work in Ireland. He settled in London, where he lived in a flat at 49 Overstrand Mansions in Battersea Park from 1936 until his death in 1964. During his time in London, O’Casey continued to write plays, autobiographies, and essays, cementing his reputation as one of Ireland’s greatest literary exports. Today, a blue plaque marks the location of his former residence in the Borough of Wandsworth, serving as a tribute to his enduring legacy and connection to the city.