About
'Where the River Shannon Flows Down to the Sea'
In 1939 the Irish travel writer Richard Hayward set out on a journey along the River Shannon to write 'Where the River Shannon Flows' published in 1940. The book is the story of a road trip following the course of the river from its source in Cavan to the sea at Ballybunnion in Kerry.
Hayward hired a caravan which was towed by an Austin car and they set out in mid-August that year, several weeks before World War II broke out. Their caravan was a Cheltenham and cost £12 from the Irish Caravan Company in Belfast where he lived. At 225 miles, the Shannon is the longest river in either Ireland or Britain, and their journey took them three weeks.
In tandem with writing an acclaimed travel and history book on the Shannon, Hayward also made a 25-minute black-and-white documentary film of his journey. He was accompanied by a photographer and film cameraman. The film opens with a wide pan across the Fermanagh-Cavan countryside with references to Cuilcagh and Benaughlin mountains as well as the Shannon Pot where their journey started. Their trip continues through Carrick-on Shannon, Athlone and Limerick, along the estuary and into Co Kerry. When it came out in 1940 the film was popular at cinemas all over Ireland. It was screened on the same bill as another Hayward feature film 'The Luck of the Irish.'
Paul Clements, who has written a biography of Richard Hayward, has also followed in Hayward's Shannon footsteps for a book published in 2020. He will be showing the original film and giving a talk at Fermanagh House.
Paul said: 'Hayward's book on the Shannon is a well-known classic and has been reprinted several times, but his film of their journey has not been seen by many people. This is a wonderful opportunity to see such a rare film which is a period piece of its time showing an older Ireland that has disappeared. It features several people that Hayward met, as well as walk-on parts by geese, swans, cattle and donkeys.
