A short time after moving to Dublin I was approached by Nora Lever to appear in one of her school productions. When 1 arrived at rehearsal I had no idea. that the unassuming diminutive woman who greeted me was a powerhouse of energy and ideas and an innovator of a considerable magnitude. I knew vaguely that in her younger days Nora had founded and run the 37 Theatre Club with Barry Cassin, but no one had told me, at least of all Nora herself, that this company had pioneered contemporary new wave theatre in Ireland.
By the time I met her, Nora had been running an acting school with Phyllis Ryan and had taught speech and drama for which she collected a professorship from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and had thrown herself wholeheartedly and successfully into a campaign to improve the conditions of Irish "export" horses, which was the beginning of her interest in animal welfare in general, and had led her to found the Cats' Protection League, which she ran from her own home virtually until the day of her death.
But then, in the sixties, she was involved in yet another pioneering theatrical venture. Each year, for over a decade, she would stage plays for school children which they had to study on the school syllabus, thus lifting the works of Shakespeare and other classical playwrights off the printed page for a generation of students who would not otherwise have seen them done so lavishly. Aided by her unique collection of period costumes and a band of devoted performers, Nora Lever achieved what few companies, except the National Theatre, could have afforded.
From time to time I was fortunate enough to take part, and I remember three young actresses in particular who played my daughters in Pride and Prejudice who later established themselves as leading ladies at the Abbey Theatre, and I imagine that there are few actors and actresses working in this country today who did not once pass through Nora Lever's hands.
Alas, such things are easily forgotten with the passing of time, and I have often admired the modesty with which Nora accepted this inevitability and the optimism with which she tackled her schemes, refusing to sink into old age obscurity.
In the seventies Nora Lever founded Women in Media and Entertainment to highlight the lack of opportunities for women in the industry. Since I was one of the people she asked to form her ad hoc committee I came to know her more intimately. It was the beginning of a lasting friendship I shall always remember with affection.
I soon learnt that anyone attempting to rally and organise actors, let alone actresses, will find this an uphill struggle. Nora took it all in her stride and found a strong voice as our representative on the Council for the Status of Women. Her participation in this organisation gave her special pleasure, but when she felt that health made it difficult for her to give of her best, she did not hesitate to pass Women in Entertainment on to a younger woman, Margaretta D'Arcy.
But Nora was not yet done. Her battle against many infirmities did not stop Nora Lever from mounting just one last campaign. She succeeded in preserving the Bernard Shaw House in Synge Street for the nation and continued to organise fundraising events for her favourite projects. I shall always remember with amusement a phone call I received from her just over a year ago. "I am fading away, my dear," she announced to my dismay. "I don't have much longer to go - oh, by the way, will you take part in an evening I am producing at the Mansion House next month?"
The evening was a great success and her last public appearance this year was again at the Mansion House when she handed over her large collection of memorabilia to the National Theatre Archives. The Irish theatre owes Professor Nora Lever a great debt of gratitude and she will be sadly missed by all those she has cherished - humans and animals alike.