Richard Hayward

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.

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)