Longford, Edward Arthur Henry Pakenham (1902–1961)

Irish playwright and theatre director, affectionately known as ‘the Lord’. Longford inherited the family seat of Pakenham Hall (now called Tullynally) at Castlepollard, County Longford. He was director of the Gate Theatre, Dublin, from 1931, and founded Longford Productions with his wife, Christine Longford, in 1936. His first play The Melians (1931) exhibited his interest in Greek history and culture, and his later productions included translations and adaptations of Aeschylus and Moliére. Together, the Longfords were a major force in bringing world literature to the Irish stage.