His earliest influences were from magazines and journals that his Father brought home, and by Palgrave's Golden Treasury.
[2] In 1948, McFadden co-founded with Barbara Edwards (née Hunter) the Northern Irish poetry magazine Rann and, then, co-edited it with her during its whole run, until 1953.
The Roy McFadden Library, at Trinity College Dublin, comprises books and journals on Irish and world literature from the poet's collection.
A comprehensive collection of Roy McFadden's published work is held at the South Bank Poetry Library, London.
[7] McFadden was educated at Knock Grammar School, Regent House, Newtownards,[2] and later graduated in Law from Queen's University in 1944.