Romancing Ireland

Richard Hayward was one of Ireland's best-loved cultural figures of the mid-twentieth century. A popular Irish travel writer, actor and singer, he led an intense and productive life, leaving behind a remarkable body of work through his writing and recordings. However, since his death in a car crash in 1964, the man who was a celebrated Irish household name has suffered neglect. Born in Southport, Lancashire, Hayward was raised in Larne on the Antrim coast. He buried his English past and devoted his days to promoting Ireland. As a pioneering filmmaker, he appeared in the first black-and-white Irish "talkies" and broke new ground in his BBC radio work alongside Tyrone Guthrie. On radio Éireann, he sang with Delia Murphy and record with Decca and HMV. In his travel books and enthusiasms, Hayward opened up an unknown Ireland to thousands of people.--Inside dust jacket.