In 1935, in the course of a USA tour of the plays of Sean O'Casey and others, Abbey Theatre actors were celebrated by director John Ford at an RKO Studio luncheon. An extensive collaboration got underway between Ford and the Abbey's star players, such as Sara Allgood, Barry Fitzgerald, and his brother Arthur Shields. Tempted by movie contracts, they resettled in Hollywood and became members of what was informally called Ford's 'stock company', appearing again and again in his key movies, such as "The Long Voyage Home", "How Green Was My Valley", "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon", and "The Quiet Man". This ground-breaking book, based on new archival sources, traces the life stories of those actors in their migration to Hollywood. It shows how signifying elements of the Irish Revival were personally carried into Golden Age cinema, and gives fresh readings to some of the great movies of the era.