Readings, Book Chats, Workshops, Etc.

If you're a bookstore, library, or book club looking for something just a bit different from a traditional author reading, you've come to the right place! Erin does public programs on her own, and in tandem with her husband, Irish musician and author Paddy O'Brien. Erin and Paddy love speaking to booklovers, writers' groups, library audiences, book clubs, and any group interested in Irish history, traditional music, and culture. The setting can be as formal as a theater stage or as informal as a circle of chairs beside the fire.

The cost for public presentations varies—please contact us to chat about what you have in mind...

Erin Hart & Paddy O'Brien

THE BOOK OF KILLOWEN & THE ROAD FROM CASTLEBARNAGH
An Intriguing Mixture of Irish Music and Mystery

Paddy plays tunes on button accordion and offers a few tales from his adventures growing up in rural Ireland, in a thatched house with no electricity or running water, and Erin spins the story of her latest novel, inspired by a 9th-century book of Psalms found in an Irish bog. This is available as a full multimedia program; we bring our own laptop, digital projector, and projection screen to share images from our stories. And we always enjoy answering questions from the audience.

Music & Writing Programs and Workshops

Paddy and Erin also offer writing and music workshops, which can be tailored to whatever audience you have in mind.

Paddy is a internationally-renowed musician and collector of Irish music. He was named Irish Traditional Composer of the Year in 2012, and has recorded 1,500 tunes from his repertoire in the Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection, an unparalleled resource for scholars and Irish music learners. Paddy offers music workshops and music appreciation programs and lecture/demonstrations focusing on the history of the instrumental tradition in Ireland.

Paddy can also talk about his experience of writing a memoir, The Road From Castlebarnagh, about growing up in rural Ireland of the 1950s and 60s.

Both Paddy and Erin have extensive experience working in community settings—including libraries, senior centers, schools and colleges, and lifelong learning programs.

More information on Erin's workshops and programs.

All-City Reads, Other Special Programs

Paddy and Erin have also done a number of all-city reading events (in Austin, Saint Peter, and Lakeville, Minnesota, among others), which offer school residency, senior lunches, and other community programs, and usually culminating in a special event featuring a presentation with readings, images, and traditional Irish tunes from Paddy and one of his musical groups.

In addition to popular programs about Irish history and culture for Saint Patrick's Day celebrations, Erin and Paddy also offer a special 'Holiday Toast to Friends' program, featuring a feast of Irish midwinter traditions, toasts, poetry, music, and song.

For more detail on Paddy and his various workshop and concert offerings, please see Booking Paddy.

Author Erin Hart

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

• Preserving Ancient Words: Irish Scribes in THE BOOK OF KILLOWEN
• 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

More information on Erin's workshops and programs.