Richard Hayward (actor)

Richard Hayward (24 October 1892 – 13 October 1964) was a British film actor, writer and musician.

Life and career

Born in Southport, Lancashire, his family moved to Northern Ireland when he was a baby. Hayward was an enthusiast for all Ulster regional popular culture. He was a member of the Orange Order, to which he dedicated much time. After a period working at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin 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, serving as its president in 1951.

Death

He died after 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

Further reading

• Paul Clements, Romancing Ireland: Richard Hayward, 1892-1964, Dublin: The Lilliput Press, 2014.

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
• Reportage: The story of a forgotten Irish legend at Belfast Telegraph
• Richard Hayward: Exploring the life of a pivotal cultural figure at BBC