BOOK: The Road From Castlebarnagh, by Paddy O'Brien

A note from local musician Frank Cassidy...

Paddy O Brien has recently published a book on growing up and plying traditional music in Ireland which is being very well reviewed and is available on Amazon.ca. The book is called The Road From Castlebarnagh, great stories and references to many of the great players etc. Highly recommended.

The official book description reads:

The Road from Castlebarnagh covers the many adventures of Paddy O'Brien, Irish traditional musician, composer and collector, as a boy growing up more than half a century ago in the midlands of Ireland. Paddy grew up in a small thatched house without running water or electricity, near the town of Daingean in County Offaly. It was a time when the social life of the Irish countryside often took place around the fireplace, where stories were told and music was played. In his book he writes of the many colourful characters who shaped his perception of Irish life and culture. Showing Paddy's flair for storytelling, The Road from Castlebarnagh is the story of how a young musician absorbed his surroundings while developing his own distinctive musical style.

(thanks for the tip, Frank!)