Returning to Galway in 1939，Walter took up the post of theatre manager with the Taibhdhearc.At this time，he began to write both in Irish and English.By 1946 his first play in English，Mungo’s Mansion，had been successfully staged at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin，and his first novel，Quench the Moon，had been accepted for publication.In 1948 he joined the Abbey for three years. In 1950 his third novel，Rain on the Wind，brought him international recognition，winning the Book of the Month Club and the Literary Guild Award.A successful US theatre tour gave him the strength to return home to Galway to establish a career for himself as a full-time writer.