Richard Rowley writer

Richard Rowley, born as Richard Valentine Williams on 2 April 1877 in Belfast, Ireland, was a poet, playwright, and short story writer. He adopted the pseudonym "Rowley" during his career. Growing up, he joined his family's firm, McBride and Williams, which manufactured cotton handkerchiefs, eventually becoming its managing director. After the company collapsed in 1931, he served as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Unemployment Assistance Board.

Rowley's early poetry, collected in *The City of Refuge* (1917), focused on industrial themes, while his next volume, *City Songs and Others* (1918), included his most famous poem, *The Islandmen*, known for its original and dramatic portrayals of Belfast's working class. He later moved to Newcastle, County Down, where he wrote short stories, such as those in *Tales of Mourne* (1937), and the successful play *Apollo In Mourne* (1926). During World War II, he founded the Mourne Press from his home but it ceased operations in 1942.

Rowley was part of a literary circle at Campbell's Cafe, which included writers, poets, and artists. His death on 25 April 1947 in Drumilly, County Armagh, left behind a legacy remembered through works like *The Piper of Mourne* (1944) and memorials such as Rowley Meadows and the Rowley Path in Newcastle. His contributions to Northern Irish literature were celebrated posthumously, including radio tributes and literary recognition.