Micheál Mac Liammóir, born Alfred Willmore in 1899, was a British born Irish actor, dramatist, poet and artist. He was one of the leading child actors on the English stage, in the company of Noël Coward. He studied painting at London's Slade School of Art, and continued to paint throughout his lifetime. In the 1920s he traveled throughout Europe. Mac Liammóir was captivated by Irish culture: he learnt Irish which he spoke and wrote fluently and he changed his name to an Irish version, presenting himself in Ireland as a descendant of Irish Catholics from Cork. Later in his life, he wrote three autobiographies in Irish and translated them into English.

Mac Liammóir settled in Dublin with his partner and fellow actor Hilton Edwards. They became a mainstay of Ireland’s emerging theater world and went on to found Dublin's Gate Theatre in 1928. Concurrent with this literary career, Mac Liammóir developed a successful career as an artist and produce exquisite illustrations based on Irish mythology and history. The paintings were heavily influenced by the European Art Nouveau style and have lyrical and mystical quality which gained them instant and continued popularity.