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.

‘A treasure trove of information, superbly researched and packed with detail’ − BBC Radio ‘An incredibly comprehensive biography, impeccably written, and a gripping read from the start.’ − Belfast News Letter ‘An incredible book’ − Patrick Geoghegan, Newstalk ‘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, The Irish Times

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.