Hugh Fitzgerald Ryan (b. 1941)

Track 1: Recalled stories from his father of his experiences in World War I, and also his father’s memories of 1916. Track 2: His memories of early childhood and of his grandfather, who spent time in Uruguay, South America, and about whom Hugh wrote a book entitled In the Shadow of the Ombu Tree. Track 3: Discussed his schooldays and his teachers, some of whom were an important influence on his writing talent. Track 4: Recalled that he wrote his first story while in primary school and wrote his first novel at the age of 39. Track 5: Discussed the technique of sketching, demonstrating examples of his work in one of his books. Discussed his recent historical novel, The Devil to Pay, and the reasons for writing this. His teaching career in Kilkenny, teaching Latin and English at the Christian Brothers’ School.