Irish history of the early 20th century certainly has its quirks. A lesser-known one in its long annals is that of the two Richards of Co Limerick. Both gentlemen played a unique role in the shaping of modern Ireland and in various publications are often confused for each other and sometimes mistakenly thought of as being the one person. It is a bit of a conundrum, but one I will try to solve for good in these few column inches.
The first Richard, that is Richard Francis Hayes was born in Bruree, Co Limerick, in 1882. He was of course not the only famous resident of Bruree and was a classmate of Éamon de Valera. A talented student, he went to Dublin to study medicine and qualified as a physician from the Royal College of Surgeons in 1900. Like his old classmate Dev, Richard Francis Hayes fought in the 1916 Rising, seeing action in Ashbourne and Garristown. While de Valera and Richard Francis were presumably learning their catechism in Bruree National School, the second Richard, Richard James Hayes, was born just 50km down the road in Abbeyfeale.
Richard James Hayes did not fight in the Rising but instead earned a scholarship which allowed him attend Clongowes Wood College and eventually Trinity College, where he excelled in languages. After earning his PhD, he accepted a role with the National Library of Ireland, eventually going on to serve as director, a post he assumed in 1940 during the Emergency.
While Richard James Hayes was studying in Trinity College, Richard Francis Hayes was interned in the Curragh Camp, having been actively involved in the War of Independence. He was elected to Dáil Éireann in 1921 as TD for the Limerick City-Limerick East constituency and supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty, voting in favour of it. He was re-elected in 1922 as a pro-Treaty Sinn Féin TD and for Cumann na nGaedheal at the 1923 election. He soon tired of politics and resigned his Dáil seat and subsequently took up the roles of director of the Abbey Theatre as well Ireland’s chief film censor. A devout Catholic, Richard Francis infamously cut the Rite of Spring section from Walt Disney’s 1942 film Fantasia as he deemed it “gave an entirely materialistic view of the origin of life”.
A Tale of Two Richards – Marc McMenamin on two oft-confused Limerick men
Last Poll and Chorus – Frank McNally on the end of 400 years of Trinity College elections
Hit (and miss) parade – Frank McNally on the mixed fortunes of a who’s who list from 40 years ago
Glad rags – Colm Keena on clothes and society
Richard James did not share Richard Francis devoutness and was himself a lifelong atheist. However, both men were gifted writers. Richard Francis was a fluent speaker of French and authored many books on the subject of Irishmen who fought in French armies. Among his many titles – Irish Swordsmen of France, Old Irish Links With France, Ireland and Irishmen in the French Revolution, Biographical Dictionary of Irishmen in France, The Last Invasion of Ireland and When Connaught Rose – stand as his best work. As a mark of appreciation the French government decorated him the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur.
Equally as prolific, Richard James Hayes authored the groundbreaking volumes Clár Litridheacht na Nua-Ghaedhilge with Brighid Ní Dhonnchadha in 1938, Manuscript Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation in 1965 and Sources for the History of Irish Civilisation: Articles in Irish Periodicals in 1970. Richard James also compiled the first major bilingual dictionary in a language other than English (French) since 1700.
Richard James Hayes’s finest hour, however, was his role with Irish Military Intelligence during the second World War. Collaborating with the legendary spy master Col Dan Bryan, Richard James Hayes broke the infamous Görtz cipher, a coding mechanism so fiendish that British Military Intelligence in Bletchley Park had an entire hut working on it with little success. Hayes shared the solution with the British and was personally congratulated by Winston Churchill for his endeavours after the war.
While Richard James Hayes was outwitting Nazis, Richard Francis Hayes was settling into retirement. He was particularly close to the author Frank O’Connor and answered queries for him for his biography of Michael Collins, whom Richard knew personally from his revolutionary days. Richard Francis Hayes died in 1958 and was buried in Deans Grange Cemetery. Richard James Hayes eventually resigned from his role with the National Library and became director of the Chester Beatty Library, a role he relished given his deep interest in the Orient. Richard James Hayes died in 1976 and was buried a few rows away from his namesake Richard Francis Hayes in Deans Grange Cemetery. It is unknown if the two ever met.
