Richard Hayward (1892–1964) was a British

film actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, pla ...

and

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who w ...

Life and career

Born in

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...

, his family moved to Ireland when he was a baby. Hayward was an enthusiast for all Ulster regional popular culture. He was a member of the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots people, Ulster Sco ...

, to which he dedicated much time. After a period working at the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the brot ...

he helped form the Belfast Repertory Theatre Company. He was a popular singer in the forties and fifties. His career meant he lived a typical theatrical lifestyle being constantly on the move. Hayward wrote a number of travel books about Ireland, exploring every county. He was closely associated with the

Belfast Naturalists' Field Club The Belfast Naturalists' Field Club is a club of naturalists based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1863, the club was an important part of the education system for Victorian naturalists and worked largely through first-hand field studies ...

, serving as its president in 1951.

Death

He died due to a road accident outside Ballymena, in October 1964.

Selected filmography

* '' Flame in the Heather'' (1935) - Fassiefern * ''The Voice of Ireland'' (1936) * '' The Early Bird'' (1936) - Daniel Duff * '' The Luck of the Irish'' (1936) - Sam Mulhern * ''Shipmates o' Mine'' (1936) - Mike Dooley * ''Devil's Rock'' (1938) - Sam Mulhern * '' Irish and Proud of It'' (1938) - Donogh O'Connor * '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) - Victualling Officer (final film role) Hayward also wrote the screenplay of the musical drama ''Devil's Rock''.

Selected books

He wrote a number of books, mostly topographical, about Ireland, including: *''In praise of Ulster'' (Arthur Barker, 1938) *''Where the Shannon flows'' (1940) *''Corrib Country'' (Dundalgan Press, 1943) *''In the Kingdom of Kerry'' (Dundalgan Press, 1946) *''Leinster and the city of Dublin'' (Arthur Barker, 1949) *''Ulster and the City of Belfast'' (Arthur Barker, 1950) *''Belfast through the ages'' (Dundalgan Press, 1952) *''Connacht and the city of Galway'' (Arthur Barker, 1952) *''Story of the Irish Harp'' (Arthur Guinness, Son & Co., 1954) *''Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim & Roscommon'' (Arthur Barker, 1955) *''Munster and the city of Cork'' (Phoenix House, 1964)

References

External links

Remembering Richard Hayward
at NIDirect.
Remembering Richard Hayward: An evening of music, story and film
at antrimhistory.net
Richard Hayward (1892-1964): Actor And Writer
at Dictionary of Ulster Biography
An Irishman’s Diary on the celebrated Richard Hayward

Actor and writer who helped define the Ireland of his time: Romancing Ireland

at ''

Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...