Peggy Dell

Peggy Dell, born Margaret Tisdall on 8 January 1906 in Dublin, was an Irish singer, pianist, and stage performer whose career spanned music hall, Broadway, radio, and television. She died on 30 April 1979 in Dublin at the age of 73 and is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery.

Tisdall's connection to performance began in childhood. Her father played flute with the pit orchestra at Dublin's Olympia Theatre, and at nine years old she made her first public appearance there as a pianist. By the age of thirteen she had been hired by Woolworths to play piano at their Grafton Street store to help drive sheet music sales. Still in her teens, she formed her own band, which performed at Dublin venues including the Theatre Royal and the Capitol Theatre.

Her career expanded significantly in the 1930s. She toured England with Roy Fox and his band, during which period she adopted the stage name Peggy Dell. She subsequently performed in the United States as lead singer with the Jack Hylton band, and it was during this American period that she appeared on Broadway. Dell's Broadway credits include the play The Pure in Heart and the production Facing the Music, with her Broadway appearances running from 1932 to 1934. Following the outbreak of World War II, she returned to Ireland, where she re-established herself as an entertainer, performing at dances, appearing in revues, and acting in pantomimes.

By the late 1960s, the closure of several major Dublin theatres and the rise of television had diminished her professional opportunities. Her fortunes changed in 1973 when Gay Byrne invited her to participate in a special edition of The Late Late Show honoring actor Noel Purcell. The audience response led to Dell being given her own series on RTÉ, titled Peg O' My Heart. In February 1975 she received a Jacob's Award for the programme, and that same year she released an album called Among My Souvenirs. From that point until her death, Dell performed regularly on radio and television and continued to make live appearances. She never married.