The Irish File; Images from a Land of Grace

While Ireland has always been a perennial favorite among travelers, with some 6 million visitors last year, Irish culture has a stronghold in the United States: of the 70 million people of Irish descent worldwide, 44 million are American. Ireland-its landscape, religion, history, arts, and eternal romance-are all an integral part of the American imagination.

Jon Michael Riley's The Irish File contains stunning imagery of this beloved country packaged in an elegant format that includes five decorative vellum pages. From a lone, thin tree swaying in a fierce sea wind to a statue of St. Patrick solemnly watching over a tiny, ancient cemetery, from a white enamel bowl tinged by dim afternoon light flowing through lace curtains to a Connemara mare slowly ambling through a barren field with her newborn foal, Riley's work captures the many facets of Ireland: its mystical nature, beautiful landscape, and rich historical and religious culture.

Just as Riley reveals the majesty of Ireland through photography, so too does best-selling author Nuala O'Faolain unveil its subtle poetry. With an introduction by O'Faolain as well as literary excerpts from well-known Irish writers, this sublime volume is a visual and literary treasure that is as captivating as the country it portrays.

Jon Michael Riley has produced award-winning images for major corporations, advertising agencies, and design firms. His work is syndicated world-wide in print and on the Internet. His fine-art photography-imaging work has been shown in galleries across the country and on his web site www.irishimage.com. He lives in Fletcher, North Carolina.

Nuala O'Faolain is the author of Are You Somebody?, which was published to considerable acclaim in 1997; a best-seller in Ireland, the United States, and Australia, it has been translated into five languages. Her novel My Dream of You was on the New York Times best-seller list in its first week of publication in 2001. She divides her time between the west of Ireland, Dublin, and New York City.