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For St. Patrick’s Day—Happy Wearing O’ the green day! We have listed a variety of books for all ages. Some are set in Ireland, and some feature Irish authors, characters, history, and more. Sláinte!

Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka, DB050340, by Tomie dePaola

Jamie O'Rourke is the laziest man in all of Ireland. When his wife visits her sister for a week, she leaves Jamie plenty of food and a clean house. Then his friends come visiting and leave a mess behind. Jamie gets some help from an unexpected source. For grades K-3. 2016.

Ballywhinney Girl, DB074365, by Eve Bunting

Maeve and her grandfather uncover a girl's ancient, mummified body in a bog in Ballywhinney, Ireland. After the police and archeologists start piecing together the mystery, Maeve realizes the long-dead lass was much like her. For grades K-3. 2012.

Finn Maccoul And His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland, BR012034, by Robert Byrd

Irish giant Finn MacCoul, who is a bit cowardly, finds himself in trouble after building a stone bridge between Ireland and Scotland. Now the mean Scottish giant Cucullin can come across to Ireland and attack Finn. Fortunately, Finn's wife, Oonagh, has a plan to save him. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2000.

Abby, DB045050, by Wolfram Hänel and Rosemary Lanning

Moira lives on a tiny Irish island and her best friend is the family dog, Abby. They run on the beach, watch the gulls and the clouds from the meadow, and climb up the cliffs. Then one day Moira comes home from school to learn that Abby has eaten poisoned meat and may die. For grades 2-4. 2016.

Fiona's lace, DBC05972, by Patricia Polacco

Fiona and her family moved from Ireland to Chicago to begin a new life. Yet, when the family faces misfortune, will Fiona's lace help save them? For grades 2-4. 2014.

The Pirate Queen, DB045535, by Emily Arnold McCully

Portrays the life of the legendary sixteenth-century Irish swashbuckler Grania O'Malley, who was known as the cunning and intrepid "sea queen." Her adventures included saving her father's life in battle, bearing a child at sea, and boldly opposing Ireland's English invaders. For grades 2-4. 2016.

Leprechaun in Late Winter: Magic Tree House, Merlin Mission #15, BR019171 and DB071845, by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel back in time to Ireland in 1862. Merlin's new mission for them is to encourage young Augusta Gregory to share her love of Irish legends and folktales with the world. For grades 2-4. 2011.

Paddy's Pot of Gold, BR011073, by Dick King-Smith

It is early on the morning of her eighth birthday that Brigid meets P.V.W.R.H. O'Reilly, a leprechaun. Paddy, as he is called, has always been around; in fact, he is 174 years old. But this is the first time conditions have been right for Brigid to see him. And now Brigid is in for some interesting times. For grades 3-6. 1990.

Maura's Angel, BR011944, by Lynne Reid Banks

On her way home from her Belfast school, Maura is knocked flat by a bomb's blast. When she looks around, she is amazed to see a naked girl who looks just like her. Maura must teach this new acquaintance to walk, eat, and even sleep. In return, Maura and her family experience wonderful changes while in her presence. For grades 4-7. 1999.

A Pot o' Gold: A Treasury of Irish Stories, Poetry, Folklore, and (of Course) Blarney, DB072592, by Kathleen Krull

Limericks, ballads, poetry by Joyce and Yeats, and retellings of legends about mermaids, fairies, and leprechauns. Selections from the cultural heritage of Ireland balance child-friendly material with original sources. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2004.

My father left me Ireland: An American son's search for home, DB97887, By Michael Brendan Dougherty

The son of Irish and Irish American parents, the author relates his struggles with his cultural identity and his connections with Ireland thanks to a difficult relationship with his absent father. Reflects on the meaning of identity and the difficulty many Americans face trying to connect with their origins. 2019. 

St. Patrick Of Ireland: A Biography, BR015450 and DB058484, By Philip Freeman

Life of St. Patrick based on his two surviving letters: one a defense of his work in Ireland, the other condemning a slave-raiding king and his pirates. Recounts Patrick's kidnapping by Irish pirates, years of slavery, escape, and eventual return to minister to the Irish people. Debunks many myths. 2006.

Grania: She-king of the Irish Seas, DB024360, By Morgan Llywelyn

Lusty, melodramatic saga based on the life and legends of the sixteenth-century pirate-chieftain Grace O'Malley, often called Grania of Ireland. A formidable warrior, this seafaring leader of Irish clans fought to preserve her people's lands from the forces of the English Queen Elizabeth. Explicit descriptions of sex. 2016.

Belfast Diary: War as a Way of Life, DB027431, By John Conroy

A Chicago journalist recounts his experience living in a Catholic ghetto in war-torn West Belfast in 1980. After witnessing the activities of daily life amid suspicion, joblessness, poor housing, inadequate schools, and everyday street violence, he developed an intense sympathy toward his Catholic neighbors. 2017.

Irish Hearts, DB050504, by Nora Roberts

Contains Irish Thoroughbred and Irish Rose, relating the stories of cousins Adelia Cunnane and Erin McKinnon. Each independent young woman comes to America and finds success, love, and happiness with a neighboring Maryland horse-farm owner. Prequel to Irish Rebel (DB50505). Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. Bestseller. 2000.

Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor, DB077938, by Patrick Taylor

1965. Dr. Fingal O'Reilly and his wife Kitty return from their honeymoon to Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland. As he tends to his patients, Fingal reminisces about his years as a new physician in the 1930s, when he worked in Dublin's slums. Sequel to Irish Country Wedding (DB76135). 2013.

Angela's Ashes: A Memoir, DB042805 and BR012543, by Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt recollects his "miserable Irish Catholic childhood" in the squalor of Limerick. Absent any support from his glib, but shiftless, alcoholic father, the family suffered hunger, cruelty, disease, and the death of children. McCourt recounts his story without rancor. Strong language. Pulitzer Prize. Bestseller. 1996.

The Irish in Ireland, DB019954, by Constantine Fitzgibbon

An American writer who lives in Ireland offers a guided tour through his adopted country's stormy history. He begins with the Stone Age and continues with speculations about the Celtic forebears of the Irish and about the succeeding ages of invasions. 2016.

The searcher, DB100859, by Tana French

After a bruising divorce, veteran Chicago police officer Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat. Bestseller. 2020.

Galway Bay, DB091054, by Mary Pat Kelly

1839 - Soon after Honora Keeley is accepted to the convent, she meets Michael Kelly, and they fall in love. As the Great Starvation sweeps across Ireland, they struggle to feed their growing family. Then, an opportunity to immigrate to America is offered to them. Conflict follows the family. Some violence. 2009.

Northern Spy, DB102898, by Flynn Berry

BBC producer and new mother Tessa is at work in Belfast when news of another raid hits. The IRA may have gone underground, but their work is still felt. Security footage shows Tessa's sister Marian pulling a ski mask over her face. Tessa struggles with finding the truth. 2021.

Walking with Ghosts: A Memoir, DB102499, by Gabriel Byrne

Memoir of an award-winning Irish actor. He tells of growing up in Dublin, the oldest of six children born to working-class parents. After early plans to become a priest fizzled, he joined a Dublin theatre group, beginning his forty-year career as an actor on stage and screen. 2021.

Walking The Dog and Other Stories, BR010533, by Bernard MacLaverty

Nine short stories that explore unsettling aspects of Irish life. In the title story, a man is kidnapped by the IRA while walking his dog and is disgustedly released. In both "Compensations" and "Just Visiting," the main characters must deal with the impending death of a loved one. Strong language. 1997.

The Famished Land: A Novel of The Irish Potato Famine, BR002477, by Elizabeth Byrd

A love story set in Ireland during the years of the potato famine. Moira McFlaherty and her big family live happily in a small village where she dreams of the day she will marry her childhood sweetheart. When the famine comes, her courage sustains the family.1975.

McGarr And the Politician's Wife, BR003573, by Bartholomew Gill

Chief Inspector McGarr of the Irish Police investigates the assault of a drunken American left for dead on an old yacht in Dublin. McGarr searches the coast of Ireland to uncover the identity of the assailant. Some strong language. 1977.

The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) has announced the details of its March 2025 Music Notes Webinar. This program is presented by staff who work in the Music Section of NLS and focuses on the services and resources that are available from the Music Section.

The next Music Notes program will be presented on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m. eastern time via Zoom. For this NLS Music Notes webinar, NLS staff will be joined by pianist, composer, and NLS Music Section patron Hwaen Ch’uqi. We will discuss Mr. Ch’uqi’s journey to becoming a professional musician, his use of braille music, and his own compositions and inspiration.

About Hwaen Ch’uqi

An Inca Indian and a native of Perú, pianist Hwaen Ch’uqi is a world-renowned soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has performed throughout the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Russia, Taiwan, Japan, and Perú at such venues as Seiji Ozawa Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, and Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. He is on the roster of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chamber Music Society and is co-founder of Duo Q’inti with pianist Emi Okumura and Duo Perussia with violinist Nadya Meykson.

Mr. Ch’uqi holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied under Natalya Antonova. He quickly distinguished himself as one of the rare pianists to be invited three times as a fellow to the prestigious Tanglewood Music Center; there, he studied with such luminaries as Gilbert Kalish and Leon Fleisher. He was a semifinalist at the Second Sviatoslav Richter International Piano Competition in Moscow and was awarded the Special Prize.  For more information about Mr. Ch'uqi, read more at Hwaen Ch’uqi's website.

For more information, please check out the NLS Music Section. If you have any questions about this program, please call the NYS Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) at 800-342-3688.     

March is Women’s History Month!  We hope you will find the following list of books both informative and inspirational. Read about the lives of women who explored the oceans and the universe, discovered new ways to heal the human body, and even dug up some dinosaur bones.

For even more women in science past and present, be sure to check out the events, exhibits, and resources made available as part of the Women of Science at the New York State Museum program.

Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist, DB103575, by Linda Skeers

As a kid, Mary Anning loved hunting for fossils with her father, and she made an unexpected discovery: a dinosaur fossil, the first Ichthyosaurus ever to be discovered. Her find reshaped scientific beliefs about the natural world and women scientists. For preschool-grade 2. 2020.

Amazing Scientists, DB096654 and BR022806, by Julia Finley Mosca

Three biographies, written in 2017-18, featuring women scientists. Includes The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin, The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, and The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague. For grades K-3. 2018.

The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath, DBC06763 and BRC01843, by Julia Finley Mosca

As a girl coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement, Patricia Bath made it her mission to become a doctor. When obstacles like racism, poverty, and sexism threatened this goal, she persevered--brightening the world with a game-changing treatment for blindness! For grades K-3. 2017.

Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist, DB105131, by Evan Griffith

The author recounts the curiosity, drive, and perseverance of Jeanne Power, a nineteenth-century woman scientist who pioneered the use of aquariums to study ocean life. For grades 2-4. 2021.

Hunt for the past: my life as an explorer, DBC16905 and BRC00681, by Sue Hendrickson as told to Kimberly Weinberger

Autobiography of the woman who discovered the world's most complete T. rex. For grades 2-4.

Elizabeth Blackwell: The First Woman Doctor, BR013867, by Ira Peck

Biography of the first woman to graduate from a medical college, finishing first in her 1849 class at a time when women had not been accepted into the American medical profession. For grades 4-7. 2000.

Fossil Hunter:  How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life, DB107232, by Cheryl Blackford

Profiles the life of Mary Anning, the Victorian fossil hunter who changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists of all time. Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England's first complete ichthyosaur. For grades 4-7. 2022. 

Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist, DB093309, by Sylvia Acevedo

Memoir of a Latinx rocket scientist whose early life was transformed by joining the Brownies and who currently serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. For grades 5-8. 2018.

Trailblazers: 33 women in science who changed the world, DBC08622, by Rachel Swaby

This inspiring book, aimed at children aged ten and up, contains snapshots of some of the many women who have made important advancements in scientific fields such as biology, medicine, astronomy, and technology. For grades 5-8. 2015.

Hidden From History: The Lives of Eight American Women Scientists, DB058587, by Kim K. Zach

Collective biography of eight female scientists from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries who excelled in their male-dominated fields. Describes the background and achievements of biochemist Gertrude Elion, biologist/geneticist Nettie Stevens, astronomer Annie Cannon, anatomist Florence Sabin, and computer scientist Grace Hopper, among others. For junior and senior high readers. 2002.

Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie, BR015838, by Barbara Goldsmith

Account of Marie Curie (1867-1934), the first woman to become a professor at the Sorbonne, and the first woman to receive two Nobel Prizes. Using family documents, Goldsmith compares Curie's roles of scientist, wife, and mother, focusing on the social and economic hurdles she had to overcome. 2005.

Lillian Gilbreth: Redefining Domesticity, BR020191, by Julie Des Jardins

Biography of the mother in Cheaper by the Dozen (BR 17784 and DB023282), Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972). Highlights her pioneering work as one of the first female industrial engineers to hold a doctorate degree and contribute to the field of organizational psychology--all while parenting a dozen children. 2013.

Miss Leavitt's Stars: The Untold Story of The Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe, BR016517, by George Johnson

Profiles Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921), who worked at the Harvard College Observatory in the male-dominated field of astronomy. Explains her meticulous recording of "variables"--stars that wax and wane--and her contributions to the theory of an expanding universe. 2005.