Overview

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. Originally published to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his death, Romancing Ireland has now been reissued in an elegant paperback edition. Paul Clements brings to life the flamboyant personality, laced with hubris, of a largely forgotten figure who contributed a cosy and unthreatening narrative to the construction of an Irish cultural world. Romancing Ireland uncovers an extraordinary man with limitless energy and passionate perceptions, who captured a newly independent Ireland in all its changing hues.

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9781843516521

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Reviews

'A product of great industry and astuteness, a social history, and a worthwhile exercise in reinstatement ... it restores a measure of prominence to a long-neglected figure.' - Patricia Craig, Irish Times; 'Hayward was a pioneering figure and this is a vivid story of the man and his time.' - Michael Viney, Irish Times; 'A magnificently produced book about a life packed with fascinating stories.' - Sean O'Rourke, RTE Radio; 'A masterful biography which sheds new light on the cultural history of the early 20th century North.' - Eamon Phoenix, Irish News; 'A meticulously assembled and highly readable biography that resurrects a now obscure but still compelling figure.' - Andy Pollak, Dublin Review of Books; 'A treasure trove of information, superbly researched and packed with detail' - BBC Radio; 'A comprehensive biography in which the multifarious aspects of Hayward's colourful life are stitched together in one coherent narrative ... well served by Lilliput Press in an extensively illustrated tome.' - John Gray, Culture Northern Ireland; 'Romancing Ireland uncovers a man with limitless energy and passionate perceptions who captured a newly independent Ireland.' - Irish Arts Review; 'A book that will help restore the name of one of Ireland's best-loved cultural figures to its former glory.' - Impartial Reporter

Author Information

Paul Clements is a travel writer, broadcaster and author of three other books on Ireland: Irish Shores: A Journey Round the Rim of Ireland (1993), The Height of Nonsense: The Ultimate Irish Road Trip (2005), and Burren Country: Travels Through an Irish Limestone Landscape (2011). He has written and edited two books on travel writer and historian Jan Morris, and is a contributing writer to Fodor’s Guide Ireland and Insight Guide Ireland. A former BBC journalist, he is a Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford and lives in Belfast.

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