Bobbie Hanvey is perhaps Ireland's premier photographer, and one of Northern Ireland's most highly regarded social critics. Over the years, he has also contributed some of the most memorable covers of Rego Irish Records catalogs and recordings. These covers have inspired countless letters and phone calls to the Rego offices, but, until now, Bobbie Hanvey lacked what the public wanted: a published collection of his lens work. With the publication of Merely Players, Bobbie has achieved what until the past couple of years was an impossible task. He has collected many of Northern Ireland's most important political, religious and cultural figures in one place. Despite the historic events taking place in Northern Ireland, there is still a general lack of deep understanding of the men and women who helped to transform that place from a scene of virtual civil war into a land that brims with the hope and promise for healing and reconciliation.

Portraits include: Gerry Adams - President of Sinn Fein • David Trimble - First Minister of Northern Ireland and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party • John Hume - leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party • Claire Grimes - Publisher of the Irish Echo, New York • Cardinal Cahal Daly - Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland • Seamus Heaney - Poet and Nobel Prize Laureate

Merely Players is a required addition to the bookshelf of every Irish household worldwide. It will be treasured for a lifetime, and is bound to become a precious heirloom to be passed on to future generations who will be able to relive the moments when Northern Ireland crossed over the threshold that separated violence from peace.

SOFT COVER Book (128 pages, Black & White)