Readings and Book Chats

If you're a bookstore or library looking for something just a bit different from a traditional reading, you've come to the right place! Erin loves speaking to booklovers, writers' groups, library audiences, book clubs, and people interested in Ireland. The setting can be as formal as a theater stage or as informal as a circle of chairs beside the fire. She can talk about everything from the writing process—doing research, creating characters, developing a mysterious plot—to the challenges of getting published in today's literary marketplace.

Erin also offers multimedia events, combining readings from her work with glimpses of the people and places in Ireland that stir her imagination:

The Sea-Maid's Song: Echoes of Shape-Shifting in FALSE MERMAID The Body in the Bog: Pagan Gold and Sacrifice in LAKE OF SORROWS Digging for Bones: Unearthing The Secret Past in HAUNTED GROUND

The cost for public presentations varies—please contact Erin here to discuss possibilities...

Adding A Wee Bit Of Music

A few tunes are just the thing set the mood for a reading, so on occasion Erin will bring along her husband, button accordion player Paddy O'Brien. Paddy is often called a walking encyclopedia of Irish music. He has an incredible store of tunes—over 3,500 at last count—all carried in his head. During readings he'll give people a taste of dance music like jigs and reels, or set the tone for a reading with an expressive air or an old harpers' tune.

Because Paddy makes his living through music, we usually charge some sort of fee to cover his time. The cost for public presentations with music depends upon the circumstances—contact Paddy and Erin here to chat about what you have in mind...

 

Like Irish Music?

Fans of Irish traditional music can find out more about Erin's husband, button accordion master Paddy O'Brien, at his websites below.

You can also download tunes or entire albums, and order Paddy's CDs directly from him.

Look for tracks of Erin singing on Paddy's recordings, "Stranger at the Gate," and "The Sailor's Cravat."

Paddy O'Brien
Paddy is often called 'a walking encyclopedia of Irish traditional music.' In addition to being one of Ireland's finest button accordion players, he's also an amazing storyteller and a respected repository of traditional culture.

O'Rourke's Feast
A traditional Irish folk orchestra, headed by Paddy O'Brien, featuring dance melodies like jigs and reels, and older melodies from the Irish tradition, including hornpipes, clan marches, and beautiful old slow airs and harp tunes, and a few original pieces.

The Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection
The place for information and order forms for Paddy's monumental 1,000-tune audio collection of reels and jigs. Volume One was published in 1995, and Volume Two was released in 2011.

James Kelly
One of Ireland's most outstanding traditional fiddle players.

Susan McKeown
A wonderful traditional singer, interpreter, and writer of songs.