A group of Naas drama enthusiasts have a perfectly good explanation for making William Shakespeare a birthday cake

Unfortunately back in the times of William Shakespeare there was no facebook around to allow his friends to wish him a happy birthday. People had to use more conventional methods such as actually saying the words 'happy birthday' in person, while those closest to him may have even made him a birthday cake.

The Moat Club in Naas, who are a group of theatre performers, decided to wish the legendary play-write a happy birthday by getting the English author a cake on the anniversary of his 452nd birthday.

They are celebrating Shakespeare's life and work by performing A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Moat Theatre from June 14-18, and they took some time out of their busy rehearsals to enjoy some cake in honour of the man himself.

The reason it is such as significant birthday for the man who wrote such great plays as King Lear and Romeo and Juliet is that it also marks the 400th anniversary of his death. Shakespeare's cause of death remains a mystery, while the exact date of his death is not known either. His funeral was on April 251616, and many historians believe that he actually died on April 23, the date of his birthday.