THE LYRIC FEATURE
Saucy Mistress Boldface
Saucy Mistress Boldface is a peek through a Georgian window at life for women from 1746 to 1751 through a series of 221 letters from the Bishop Of Elphin to his only teenage daughter Alicia. We hear about music, fashions, lazy servants, exotic fruits and women’s health.
Edward Synge Bishop of Elphin left his mark on Dublin through the street names of Synge Street and Bishop Street (now home to the National Archives). He also left his mark in the archives of Trinity College Dublin via a unique collection of letters to his daughter Alicia that he told her to keep as a manual for life – a how-to guide for spelling, grammar, managing servants, learning the harpsichord, staying healthy and conducting business. She was his only surviving child of 6 children and his wife also died before Alicia was a teenager. He is a doting father and addresses her in such an array of endearing terms including ‘Huzzy’, ‘Mistress Boldface’ and ‘Dear Giddy Brat’.
This radio documentary harvests some of the sage advice in the letters with extracts read by actor Simon Coury as the Bishop. There are explanations of what the letters tell us about life for women in 18th century Ireland from Dr Jane Maxwell of Trinity College Dublin, Alex Ward from the National Museum of Ireland Collins Barracks and Dr Tríona O’Hanlon who is an expert on Mercers Hospital music part books.
Narrated and produced by Angie Mezzetti
Sound Engineering – Patrick Wall
Actor Simon Coury as Bishop Edward Synge
An Ocarina production funded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound and Vision funding scheme from the television licence fee.
Producer for RTÉ lyric fm Eoin O Kelly
Production Coordinator: Peter Curtin
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 4th April, 6pm-7pm