Richard Rowley (writer) facts for kids
Richard Rowley was the writing name (or pseudonym) of Richard Valentine Williams (born April 2, 1877 – died April 25, 1947). He was born in Belfast, Ireland, and became a well-known writer of poems, plays, and stories.
Early Life and Work
When Richard was 16, he started working at his family's business, McBride and Williams. This company made cotton handkerchiefs. He eventually became the boss, or managing director, of the company.
After the company closed down in 1931, he became the Chairman of the Northern Ireland Unemployment Assistance Board. This board helped people who were out of work.
His first book of poems, The City of Refuge (published in 1917), celebrated industry and factories. His next book, City Songs and Others (1918), included his most famous poem, The Islandmen. Many people think this book contains his best work. It has poems that sound like real conversations from working-class people in Belfast.
Later Life and Legacy
Richard Rowley later moved to Newcastle, County Down. He also wrote short stories, like those in Tales of Mourne (1937). He wrote at least one very popular play called Apollo In Mourne (1926).
During World War II, Rowley started a small publishing company called Mourne Press from his home in Newcastle. He published the first books by writers like Sam Hanna Bell and Michael McLaverty. However, the press closed down in 1942.
Rowley was part of a group of writers and artists who often met at Campbell's Cafe. This group included writers like John Boyd and Denis Ireland, actors such as Joseph Tomelty, and poets like John Hewitt. Artists like Gerald Dillon and William Conor were also part of this lively group. The cafe became famous because it appeared in a book by Brian Moore called The Emperor of Ice-Cream.
Richard Rowley passed away in Drumilly, County Armagh, in 1947. His home in Newcastle, Brook Cottage, has since been taken down. In 1952, a radio show remembered Rowley's life. It included recordings from his friends, like Mabel Annesley, who drew pictures for some of his books.
Today, Rowley's name is remembered in Newcastle through the Rowley Meadows housing area and the Rowley Path. This path runs along the edge of the Islands Park.
Works
- The City of Refuge and Other Poems (1917)
- City Songs and Others (1918)
- Workers (1923)
- County Down Songs (1924)
- The Old Gods and Other Poems (1925)
- Apollo In Mourne (1926) (play)
- Selected Poems (1931)
- Tales of Mourne (1937) (short stories)
- Ballads of Mourne (1940)
- One Cure for Sorrow and Other One-Act Plays (1942)
- Sonnets for Felicity (1942)
- The Piper of Mourne (1944)
- Final Harvest (1951)
See also
- List of Northern Irish writers
- Price, Victor., (1978) Apollo in Mourne: poems, plays & stories by Richard Rowley, Blackstaff Press, Belfast
