My name is Roger O Reilly, and I am known for my work as an illustrator and storyboard artist for productions such as the TV series ‘Vikings’ , advertisements, and periodicals, however, my real passion since my childhood days are lighthouses.
Inspired by the travel posters of the 30s and 40s, my collection includes lighthouses from across Ireland and expanded to include Iconic Ireland, Irish Pubs, Counties of Ireland, villages of Dublin, and more.
In many posters, you will see the motif of my own thumbprint used as texture throughout the print. This collection started with my hometown near Drogheda and then my adopted city, Kilkenny. Today, the collection has grown to almost 300 original posters.
When it comes to Lighthouses, for me, and indeed so many people like me, they capture the imagination in a way that few other structures do. These iconic buildings evoke a keen sense of the romance and adventure of life at sea and a reassuringly benevolent presence when illuminated at night.
Having grown up near the mouth of the River Boyne on Ireland’s east coast. A few minutes from my door were three unusual estuarine lighthouses perched among the sand dunes. Drogheda North, East and West lights were truncated structures that stood like Daleks on stilts, gazing forlornly out to sea and only coming to life as the dusk crept in. Whether I am illustrating Lighthouses with historical significance and amazing design, or those that tell stories of pirates and wreckers, ones you can stay in, and ones with unexplained ghost stories, I love the romance and adventure of life at sea and a reassuringly benevolent presence when illuminated at night.
I hope you enjoy my illustrations as much as I did creating them, and my wish is that they keep many of your own unique stories alive.