Seán O’Casey

O’Casey is widely regarded as one of Ireland’s greatest dramatist. Shaw, a friend, admired him. He and Yeats had an ambivalent relationship, each needing the other, O’Casey’s relationship with Yeats’ Abbey Theatre starting very fruitfully, but ending messily, and contributing to O’Casey’s move to England. Yeats did however regard him as a genius. Beckett and he were mutual admirers, and corresponded without meeting; Joyce, O’Faolain and Kavanagh were also correspondents, and O’Neill (like Anderson, met in the U.S.) a friend. Hitchcock enthused about a script of O’Casey’s over dinner, but never contacted him again.