After proofing the book, I drove down to Kerry to get some posters made to announce the book launch. These will be distributed in and around Killorglin.

You can download an A0 poster size HERE (PDF | 3MB) for you to print and post – Thank you!

I met with John Mulvihill at the Red Fox Pub to discuss the book signing event scheduled for August 8th at his pub. I also met his son Jerry, who has published several books. Jerry was kind to share lots of very helpful tips.

I called several of the men who participated in the interviews to remind them of the book signing date so that they can receive their copy. I spent the remainder of my stay trying to keep cool. You might not know but Ireland has not seen such high temperatures in many years. The farmers were out in the fields cutting grass and rolling hay bales. Certainly a wonderful sight given that in the spring, Irish livestock farmers were running out of hay  – a combination of poor weather conditions last summer and delayed grass growth this spring due to a prolonged cold snap.

I am back in Maine. I am working with Thierry Bonneville on finishing my website www.afairday.com. The site allows visitors to learn more about the book and to view some of the photos used in the book.

I am delighted to announce that you can now pre-order “A Fair Day” online! Please take a look at the website, as it continues to develop.

Arrived bright and early at Castle Printers to watch the sheets roll off the presses with Krys Pomeroy, my sculptor friend from Kilbaha, Co. Clare to help me. There was a bit of angst behind the scenes when “our” press broke down before we arrived. But it was quickly repaired and we were on our way to proof page number one.

Krys’s keen eye saw the reds were a bit strong so we asked if the shade could be toned down? They dropped the ink down a bit and suddenly the shadows came more alive. The reds ended up changing very little but the shadow made a big difference.

The printers took a tea break around half ten and we left for a few minutes for a bite to eat as well. By 2:30 I had signed off on the full page spread of Charlie by his fire. It is half five and we are told we can work until seven and shut down for the day or let another crew come in and finish the job around 11pm. Since I hate to miss a meal, we have opted to halt the presses at 6 pm so we can stroll down to the water and take a look at the cruise ship SS The World and have dinner.

Tomorrow I will be back to sign off each page as its rolls off. We should finish around noon. I head down to Kerry to get invitations out for the book launch August 8.