An archive of over 1,500 recordings has been compiled by Maurice and Jane O'Keeffe since 1990. As they are commissioned by the Local Authorities of each county, they travel the highways and byways of Ireland recording the oral history there. Each recording is produced on an individual CD of approximately 1 hour in duration.
Every topic under the Irish sun is included in the recordings - local and national history, family histories, folklore, music, local customs, traditions and beliefs, teaching and schooling, fishing and farming traditions, boglands and turf, rural electrification and the growth and development of rural villages and towns, the Economic War and the Emergency Period, the 1916 Rising, The War of Independence and The Civil War.

Irish Life and Lore Photographic Exhibition The Irish Life and Lore Photographic Exhibition will move on 26th April from Deansgrange Library to St. Patrick`s College in Drumcondra. Irish Life and Lore Collection Launches 2010 sees the launch of the Second Cork City Theatre Collection and the Fleishmann Collection which celebrates Prof. Aloys Fleischmann and his wonderful career iin music. The C.I.T. Oral History Collection is almost complete and will be launched later in 2009. Bord na Mona are celebrating 75 years in business with the compilation of an oral history Collection of memories and stories with people who worked on the peat bogs during the early days.more » Irish Life and Lore on RTE Irish Life and Lore has been featured a couple of times recently on RTE Radio 1's Morning Ireland show.more » Sample Audio from the Fingal Collection Listen to an hour of audio snippets from the recently published Fingal (North Dublin Collection. The Old Kerry Journal - Second Edition The Second Edition of the Old Kerry Journal has been published by Russell McMorran and Maurice O'Keeffe.more » Irish Life and Lore on RTE's Nationwide The Irish Life and Lore series were recently featured on RTE's Nationwide programme.more »

 

Most of the recordings in the Irish Life and Lore archive have been divided into Collections according to the counties in which they were compiled. Each Collection is comprised of individual CDs accompanied by an illustrated catalogue giving a brief synopsis of each recording. Each CD may also be purchased individually.

A Master Catalogue, containing details, numbers and cover illustrations of all 1500 recordings from the Collections has now been compiled. The Catalogue contains up to date information and new images of interviewees, and has 250 pages. It is priced at €150.

The most recent Collections completed are:

Cork City Collection (52 CDs) North Cork/Duhallow Collection (45 CDs)   First Kilkenny Collection (51 CDs) Second Kilkenny Collection (52 CDs)   First Carlow Collection (50 CDs)   First Kerry Collection (119 CDs) North Kerry Collection (54 CDs) Third Kerry Collection (92 CDs) Fourth Kerry Collection (50 CDs)   First Tipperary Collection (45 CDs) North Tipperary Collection (50 CDs)   First Galway Collection (26 CDs)

North Dublin Collection (78 CDs) South Dublin Collection (61 CDs)   First Laois/Offaly Collection (50 CDs) Second Offaly Collection (70 CDs)   Wexford Opera Collection (62 CDs)   First Clare Collection (39 CDs) Second Clare Collection (45 CDs) Third Clare Collection (50 CDs)   West Limerick Collection (47 CDs)   1916 Collection (33 CDs)

	Featured Wexford Opera CD Marie Fane No. 2 Over the years, Marie Fane collected letters, programmes, autograph books and photographs associated with the Light Opera Society, the Gramophone Society and the Opera Festival itself. In this recording, Marie describes with great enthusiasm and passion her memories of the occasion on which she acquired each item. Marie agreed to donate her ... read more »» Featured Cork City CD Joe O'Driscoll Joe O’Driscoll has been in the boat-building business for all of his working life, as was his father before him. In this recording, Joe recalls that his father began work in a boatyard in Baltimore, and later moved into management of the Naval Dockyard at Haubowline. He explains that the craft in earlier days were all wooden-framed. During the ... read more »» Featured North Dublin CD Alice Baker This is a remarkable recording with Alice Baker, in which she recalls the great success in the horse-breeding business associated with the Baker family. Her own passion is for riding and horse rearing. The great Arkle’s mother was bought by her father, who tragically did not live long enough to witness the brilliant racehorse’s successes. Alice’s ... read more »» Featured South Dublin CD Michael Coleman No. 2 In this recording Michael Coleman recalls that on 1st January 1994 Dublin County Council was divided into three separate County Councils. He speaks about these changes and his own time spent in Tallaght, working for the development of parks and housing estates, and in the rezoning of land. read more »» Featured Second Kilkenny CD Teresa Mullen This recording provides a fine narrative on a woman’s determination to succeed, both in her career and in her family life. Teresa Mullins had a difficult start in life and later her husband Paddy passed away at a very early stage of their marriage. Teresa entered political life as an Independent and became Chairperson of the Kilkenny County ... read more »» Featured 1916 CD Michael Collins Michael Collins remains a towering figure in Irish history and his story has been told and retold. During 2004 I gathered some fascinating details about the man from five people who had stories to tell, namely Tim Crowley of Clonakilty, historians Ryle Dwyer and Meda Ryan, and two contemporaries of the great man, Patsy Holmes and Sean Clancy. I ... read more »»

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  from the recordings.

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• Libraries who have bought the Collections