A love letter from John Ford to Maureen O'Hara is believed to have been written during the filming of "The Quiet Man". A love letter to Maureen O’Hara from "The Quiet Man" director John Ford was discovered by the Irish starlet’s grandson Conor Fitzsimons, in 2019. The Irish Times reported that the letter is written on paper from Ashford Castle in Co Mayo, and was discovered tucked into a book about the Castle itself.
While the letter is undated, the Irish Times said “it is almost certainly from during or before the filming of The Quiet Man. Most of the cast and crew stayed at the luxury hotel in Co Mayo for the duration of the shoot in June 1951.” A portion of the letter written by Ford reads: “Oh Maureen, my darling, I love you so much! Thank you my love for the few months happiness you have given me.
I miss you so much. God, I long for you. I dream of you.
Your face is constantly in my dreams.” Ashford Castle in Co Mayo (Ireland's Content Pool) Ford goes on to say he doesn’t like his new maid because she “insists on closing the hall door to the breakfast room so I can’t see your picture smiling mockingly at me - do you not know the picture? It kids me all the time up on the wall making fun of me.” The director also mentions IRA fighter Ernie O’Malley, who was employed as a consultant during the filming of "The Quiet Man," though there ultimately ended up being very little IRA references.
Of O’Malley, Ford wrote: “with us – a great man still suffe.