First female chief of the Opera Festival

December 1985

When Barbara Wallace was given the keys of the Theatre Royal this week, following her election as Chairwoman of Wexford Opera Festival, it was a nostalgic moment. Her family had once owned the High Street theatre until it was sold by her grandfather, Edward Ronan, in the early 1940s.

Now a member of the family is in charge again, if not the actual owner. But the new Chairwoman is determined to look forward rather than back and one of her main objectives is to get greater local participation in the world-famous festival.

Mrs. Wallace, a public relations consultant, believes Wexford people may have drifted away from the festival in recent years. She says there was tremendous behind-the-scenes involvement in the early years, but with the arrival of more professional outsiders, a lot of that was lost.

‘We need the people of Wexford, and I want them to know that. Everyone who wants to contribute has a role to play, and I want us to work as a team. Wexford people must have a big say in the festival,’ she said this week, following her election last Thursday night.

She replaces secondary school teacher, Jim Golden, in the Chair. He held the position for the past six years. This week she paid tribute to his work for the festival and said she hoped to do as well. ‘All I can do is my best and I will give it everything I can,’ she said.

Barbara Wallace is the first woman to hold the number one position in the festival. She also made history when she became the first woman President of Wexford Junior Chamber. She is a former President of the Public Relations Institute and has been a member of many national bodies. She lives at Mulgannon.