An archive of over 1,000 recordings has been compiled by Maurice and Jane O'Keeffe since 1990, when they began to travel the highways and byways of Ireland recording the oral history of each county. 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 - folklore, local and national history, storytelling, genealogy, archaeology and geology, fishing and farming traditions, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War, rural electrification, hedge schools, teaching and schooling, buttermaking and pisheogs.

Irish Life and Lore Photographic Exhibition A photographic exhibition of images taken for the Irish Life and Lore Series Archive will be on display at the Seanachai Literary Centre, Listowel during Listowel Writers Week, beginning on 28th May. more » Irish Life and Lore Collection Launches Four Collections will be launched during the month of May with another in June. more » National Museum of Ireland Presentation On June 25th at The National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar, a presentation on the Economic War of the 1930`s will be given using many audio clippings from the Irish Life and Lore Archive. more » Irish American Cultural Institute Presentation On St. Patrick's Day, 2008, the New York branch of the Irish American Cultural Institute made a presentation of the Irish Life & Lore 1916 Collection to the LeMoyne Jesuit College, Syracuse. more » Irish Life and Lore on RTE 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 670 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:

50 CDs -- Compiled 2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   70 CDs -- Compiled 1999-2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   50 CDs -- Compiled 2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   51 CDs -- Compiled 2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   50 CDs -- Compiled 2004-2006 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   50 CDs -- Compiled 2004-2006 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   45 CDs -- Compiled 2006 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20 Buy the Book  -  €20/$20   119 CDs -- Compiled 1995-2002 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   83 CDs -- Compiled 2002-2004 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20

50 CDs -- Compiled 2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   92 CDs -- Compiled 1995-2007 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   50 CDs -- Compiled 2006 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   54 CDs -- Compiled 2004-2005 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   47 CDs -- Compiled 2002-2004 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20   33 CDs -- Compiled 2005 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20 Buy the Book  -  €15/$15   45 CDs -- North Cork - Compiled 2003-2004 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20 Buy the Book  -  €10/$10   26 CDs -- Compiled 2002-2004 More about the Collection Individual CDs - €20/$20

	Featured Carlow CD Ted Joyce Ted Joyce played for Carlow in the 1944 All-Ireland Football semi-final against Kerry. He is one of the few survivors from the team. His parents were publicans in the town of Borris and he played for Ballymurphy, a local football club. His passion and love for the game are clearly evident in this recording. read more »» Featured Fourth Kerry CD William Mangan and Kathleen Mangan The Mangan ancestral home is reached by a meandering bohereen, over a river, and then uphill. William Mangan was indeed the final link in this collection of recordings, in that he provided an overall view of how life was lived by the hill-farmer down through the centuries in the area, encapsulating the traditions, the customs, the beliefs and the read more »» Featured Second Offaly CD Michael Dowling No.1 Michael Dowling grew up in Church Street and his first job was with Frank Hirst in 1925, earning ten shillings a week mending punctures in a garage. He later went to work at the distillery. He speaks about the activities of the Black and Tans in 1921 During the Second World War many emigrants left the town. A special train would leave at read more »» Featured North Tipperary CD Betty Williams and Gerardine Wisdom On a beautiful early summer morning, I called to the home of Betty Williams and her daughter Gerardine. The interview began with the story of how the family first came to live on an island in Co Wexford, where they survived by growing grain for the malting mills, and carting it on the M71 barge. Because the land and the castellated house were read more »» Featured Third Clare CD Knockerra National School No. 2 A return visit to meet three people, well-informed about their own place, who shared their memories and experiences with the children of Knockerra National School. read more »» Featured Kilkenny CD John Keane John Keane was born in Listowel, the son of author and playwright John B. Keane. He spent some time working for Kerry County Council and for Kerry’s Eye newspaper. He moved to Kilkenny and has spent 20 years there working with the Kilkenny People. In this interview John talks about the history of the Kilkenny People newspaper. The importance read more »» Featured 1916 CD Tom Barry This recording is dedicated to the life of Tom Barry and to his participation in the famed Kilmichael Ambush. In November 2003 I travelled to the home of Donal McSweeney at Gortnafuinsion, Ballyvourney, Co Cork. This house was known locally as a meeting place for the Volunteers in the early years of the 20th century, and waiting at the house when read more »»

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