Joseph O'Meara
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Joseph O'Meara (born 16 July 1864; died 1927) was an opera singer of the 19th Century.
Born at Limerick, Ireland, and educated at the Jesuit school, the Crescent College. At the age of 18, largely through influence of schoolfriends, he thought had fancy for the sea, and his father said: "Go ahead my boy, the sooner you go, the sooner you come back". He went to sea for 12 months, and returned "having seen as much as I wanted to in that time".
Encouraged by friend J.F. Murray, he studied opera in Milan under Signor Moretti, and in 1889 he first sang in public when he got the part of Ivanhoe in production of the new opera Ivanhoe by Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan) at the Royal English Opera House. He came to the attention of Wagner, and performed in the role of Lohengrin.
For 3 years he was the chief tenor at Drury Lane and in 1894 he first appeared as a tenor in Covent Garden Theatre. A recording of him survives from 1901, and it was featured on Mo Cheol Thu, RTE Radio 1, Sun 25th Oct 1992,
He was granted Freedom of Limerick 1908. He toured the US, and on his return founded O'Mara's Travelling Opera Company 1912, in which he was the leading singer.
