Eugene Lambert
Eugene Lambert, who was born in County Sligo, is a world-famous puppeteer and ventriloquist who also helped set up the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Monkstown, Co. Dublin.
From an early age, he had a strong interest in puppetry and he created his own dummy called Frankie, which developed into the character we know today as Finnegan.
Lambert would perform his acts in Dublin as well as touring it around the country but he got his big break with the rise of radio and television in the fifties and sixties. Between 1962 and 1982, Eugene and his family made television programmes for RTÉ.
Wanderly Wagon
Eugene Lambert
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
The most well-known of these programmes was Wanderly Wagon, which was first shown in 1968. Wanderly Wagon followed human and puppet characters as they travelled around Ireland visiting interesting locations, rescuing princesses and generally doing good deeds.
The most popular characters were Judge (who was a sensible talking dog who was much loved by children), Rory, Mr. Crow, Foxy Loxy (who lived in a barrel at the side of the wagon and would speak with an American gangster accent), Fortycoats the shopkeeper and O'Brien who was played by Eugene Lambert himself.
Bosco
Bosco
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
Image courtesy of The Irish Times
Bosco was another television programme which was incredibly popular with children all over Ireland. Bosco was a cheeky, red-haired puppet with very red cheeks that used to live in a box.
Sometimes Bosco would leave the box "through the magic door" to go on special trips to places like Dublin Zoo. The voice of Bosco was shared by two of Eugene's daughters, Miriam and Paula.
Lambert Puppet Theatre
The Lambert Puppet Theatre is a puppet theatre located in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. It was set up in 1972 and is run by the Lambert family.
Each year it hosts an international puppet festival as well as putting on its own performances. This Christmas, the Lambert Puppet Theatre presented its own puppet pantomime version of Aladdin.