Date of Birth: 23rd June 1947

Place of Birth: Holles Street, Dublin

Date Interviewed: 19th October 2008

Summary: Although he was brought up in Sandyford Dublin, Jackie Hayden remembers it as a very rural upbringing. He and his friends would roam the fields and mountains nearby. Trips into Dublin were rare events reserved for special occasions. In 1960 he started in Singh Street School which was a bit of a culture shock for him. His mother had hopes of Jackie developing a “good career” but he was becoming more and more interested in music. He recalls listening to the Beatles on Radio Luxembourg. He was also questioning the type of society that existed in Ireland in the Sixties and the dominant role of the Catholic Church. He got a job with Siemens and this led him into the recorded music industry, distributing the 7 inch and 12 inch vinyl disks which were in vogue at that time. The Seventies were a busy time for Jackie. In 1978 he met the rock group U2 at a music competition he was judging. Impressed with their potential he came up with the concept of the individually numbered limited-edition 12 inch U2 first single which has today become one of the most sought after pieces of rock music memorabilia in the world. Tiring of the music industry he decided to go into PR but quickly became disillusioned with clients and their demands. An approach was made to him to become involved in Hot Press magazine and he took over as manager in 1983. A decision to move out of Dublin led Jackie and his wife Mary to Wexford during the Opera Festival of 1996 and they have been happy here since. Jackie became the first man to become chairman of the Wexford Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Services and he subsequently wrote a controversial book on his experiences in the Rape Crisis Network. He was also chairman of Wexford Arts Centre. Jackie continues his involvement with Hot Press magazine and has several books published to date.