This is a wise and affectionate look at the people of Ireland and the 240,000 miles of stone walls that form an inescapable facet of one of the most admired landscapes in the world. It is a perfect union of spirited text and beautiful photography - historical background and anecdotes from around the country unfold with the richness and sensitivity the subject deserves.
For if the stone walls are the remnants of Ireland's past, they are also the stuff of her charms. They have sheltered her lovers, harboured her secrets and divided her countryside into thousands of miniature fiefdoms that spread like a patchwork to the sea. More intricate and numerous than the crazing on a glazed pot, each wall has its own interesting story to tell.
Richard Conniff and Alen MacWeeney spent many months travelling throughout Ireland, taking photographs and tracing Ireland's roots back as far as Neolithic times. Conniff deftly conveys the spirit of the Irish, the rhythm of their speech, and the marvellous humour, jokes and legends the walls inspire. MacWeeney's photographs conjure up the endless beauty of the land - from the Dingle peninsula up to County Donegal, from Connemara and the Aran Islands across to County Down.
