This archive production of King Lear stars Anew McMaster in the title role. It was first broadcast on RTÉ Radio in 1962, the year McMaster died, but was undoubtedly recorded much earlier than that. Mac, as he was affectionally known, founded his first 'fit up' company - The Intimate Shakespeare Company - in 1925 and toured the Bard's classics pitching up in the towns and villages of Ireland almost annually until his death.

Described by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter as 'perhaps the greatest actor-manager of his time', it was McMaster's wife Marjorie Wilmore, the sister of the actor Michael MacLiammóir who was in reality the de facto manager of the theatre company.

McMaster had a very strict rule for employment – he hired whoever would accept the least money! He was responsible for training a generation of players who toured with his company and went on to achieve success as actors including Pauline Flanagan, Milo O'Shea, Christopher Casson, T.P. McKenna, Donal Donnelly and Patrick Magee. Harold Pinter who acted in his company in Ireland from 1951 to 1953 described Mac as having 'a great organ voice', and in this production you can experience the range of that great vocal instrument.

This production of King Lear starring Anew McMaster also features Christopher Casson as the Earl of Gloucester and Milo O'Shea as Edmund.