Eugene Lambert: Irish Puppeteer/Performer, Dead at 81...

Eugene Lambert
(1928 - February 22, 2010)





Eugene Lambert was an Irish puppeteer, and owner of the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Mr. Lambert and his family were the driving force behind Wanderly Wagon, RTÉ's famous children's programme that began in 1967. All of the Lambert children also worked on the show, which ran until 1982.

Born in 1928 in Sligo, Mr Lambert later moved to Monkstown in Co Dublin. He married his wife Mai, with whom he had 10 children.

As a puppeteer and ventriloquist, Lambert was long a stalwart of the Irish vaudeville scene, particularly in Dublin, although he also toured the country frequently with Mai and their children. His most common acts were with Finnegan, a mischievous storyteller, and Judge, a pensive dog.

With the rise of television in the 1960s, the Lambert puppet theatre became a fixture in Irish broadcasting. In the early 1960s, Lambert devised a puppet series for children entitled Murphy agus a Chairde ("Murphy And His Friends"). The Irish TV broadcaster RTÉ was the only station most Irish people could receive, and Murphy's adventures were soon an important part of most children's viewing.

Lambert later co-starred in the children's television series Wanderly Wagon as the mischievous and greedy "O'Brien", known for his child-like curiosity and cowardice in the face of magical events. Lambert and his family provided many regular (puppet) characters - Judge the dog, Mr Crow, Foxy Loxy, and Ssneaky Ssnake. The series also featured Irish actor Frank Kelly, who later appeared as Fr. Jack Hackett in Father Ted.

Another series created by Eugene Lambert was adapted from a children's book by Patricia Lynch, Brógeen Follows The Magic Tune. The series was a great success and won several awards internationally.

Lambert counted the late pop superstar Michael Jackson among his many fans. He once sang Happy Birthday through one of his puppets to Jackson. Jackson befriended the veteran puppeteer after playing a concert in Dublin in 1992 and visited him again with his three children on his birthday in August 2007.

Lambert was due to celebrate his 60th wedding anniversary with wife Mai this summer. He died at his home in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. He is survived by his wife and eight of their children.

RIP

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