Irish Roots Cafe

The Book of Irish Families, great & small

Final Edition
When I first put this book together waay back in the 90′s there was no thought of a 4th edition in 2013 ! But here we are, and I imagine this will be the final printing, as time is escaping me.. This final edition has 400 large format pages (8 1/2 x 11), Family Histories, Coats of Arms, and new items like the complete 34 book index to the Irish Family Projects, and family locations from the map of the Four Masters.)

Family Histories
So, we have the 7th printing of The Book of Irish Families, with around 2000 family histories – some running a full column, and some just noted for future reference. (With my library of 3,000 Irish books and the internet to draw from, this book could expand forever.) So within limits of money and time, we also include 700 coats of arms, as we found them, some tattered and torn and several centuries old.

New Master Index added
All 34 books in The Irish Family Project are tied together with this book. The other books in the series are smaller, with more genealogical information, and a few family histories, on a county by county basis. (All 32 Counties in Ireland have their own book in this series!). So then, this book has over 50,000 surnames in the index – for all 34 books in the Irish Families Project and then some. (Just knowing that your name appears in a specific county book, can help narrow a search.)

Location Index
One complete section of the book is the Location Index, most helpful for rarer names and spellings. Here we put our database of Irish names to good use. If you find a name here, it will likely come with the name of a county following it on our list. That county is where we found the name. We included the basic resources like the ’1659 Irish Census’ and the ‘Birth Index of Ireland’ for this part of the book. We also included the variant spelling index, and some older 19th century works. We have many names keyed to a specific Poor Law Union in Ireland, which can also be helpful. A simple asterisk and number follows these names. (Take that number and go to the Poor Law Union index at the end of the section for the district the name is given in.)

Four Masters show locations
We have added another family location aid in this new edition of Irish Families, great & small. We include every family name from the ‘Map of the Four Masters’ as found in our edition of the ‘Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters’. Each name is followed by the county it was shown in on the map found in volume 2 of that work (our Connellan translation, IGF edition).

Free Disc included (free)
I am also including a disc in this edition for the first time. This computer disc has information from one or more of our projects, and is meant to be a helpful introduction some of what we have put together these last 30 years. It is among the first that I have produced, so I do hope you will enjoy it as a free bonus ! (I am putting the CD or DVD disc in the books at random, so each book may have a different bonus with it!).

Launch is June 10, 2013
The book will be on my web site soon (www.Irishroots.com), and I’ll carry a few to the Irish fests in Dublin, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky this year. I’ll also list it on Amazon with my other titles as soon as time permits! Here is the link to my sold out 3rd edition of the book, but I will ship this new 4th edition if you order from this page, at the old price!
http://www.irishroots.com/id4098.htm

So, for the Irish who still love books, this ones for you !

-Mike O’Laughlin
My Facebook Irish Hedge School: https://www.facebook.com/groups/67116438598/
Irish Song Page on FB: https://www.facebook.com/IrishSong

re: The Irish Roots Cafe house band
www.Irishroots.com

Links:
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/irishrootscafe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrishRootsCafeBand
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Mickthebridge?ob=video-mustangbase

Irish House Band Update
Our newly formed Irish House band launched
successfully this year, and it is the first
band to perform all Irish language shows
in the midwest, as a matter of fact, I’ve
never heard of it done before in the U.S.
at all! (but I am sure someone has done it?)
The old style Irish songs date back as far as
the 16th century according to some accounts

Sean Nós and Traditional
We perform all Irish language shows, as well
as shows of traditional Irish songs in English.
Of course, we can mix the two as needed for
the occasion! Our current permanent house
members, all of whom do vocals, include:
Mike O’Laughlin also on percussion; Megan
Illidge on Mandolin; and Stevie Davis on
fiddle.

March Launch, Seachtaine na Gaeilge
Below are the first performances we made
in March, all of which were well received in
both Irish and English language formats!
We also played our part in ‘Irish Language Week’
(more like Irish Language month!), and offered to
teach the audience an Irish song or two…
best we could….:

Our Irish Gigs for March 2013

Irish Roots Cafe March 2013 Schedule
Feb. 23 – Browne’s Marketplace KCMO
March 1 -Crossroads Coffeehouse KCMO
March 2 – St. Andrews church (Gladstone)
March 9 – Browne’s Marketplace KCMO
March 9 – Gaelic Mass. KCMO
March 10 – Immaculate Conception/Louisburg, KS
March 16 – Celtic Ranch, Weston, MO
March 23 – The Granada in Lawrence, KS

Recording Session Tomorrow
After that opening month, we decided to take
a 30 day break, and are now recording an album
that’s been in the works awhile. (We will of
course, break from recording sessions to
play for you if you’d like!)

Genealogy too!
I made Irish genealogy resources available at
several of our performances – including books
and maps – It’s a habit I can’t seem to break,
and all part of the historical context of what
we do. Speaking of genealogy, that is how I
was introduced to old style Irish song, and
my first reason for appearing at Irish events
around the country.

Irish Festival Season
With the Irish Fests coming up shortly, I should note
that I have sung Sean Nós style songs at the
Dublin Irish Festival tent for Sean Nós; and at the
ceili for the Louisville, KY. Irish Fest.
Hope to return this year, and get the whole group
to perform there too – soon! Two great events to be sure…

Here are links to the Irish Roots Cafe House Band:
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/irishrootscafe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrishRootsCafeBand
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Mickthebridge?ob=video-mustangbase

We’ll be getting more videos up of the entire band in the future!