Vocalist Jamie O’Reilly sings a poignant tribute to her Irish-American aunt Dorothy O’Reilly in this ballad by Tom Amandes. A rich vocal tradition was handed down to Jamie from “Aunt Dottie,” whose story is illustrated in this video featuring vintage photographs dating back to the mid 1800s.  Read more here.

Video credits:
Video by Anne Hills
Art Direction by Jamie O’Reilly
Photographs from O’Reilly Tucker Family Archives
Kennedy, Madigan, Mattson, Zappen Family Archives
And historical collections in the public domain.

Song Recording Credits:
Jamie O’Reilly, Vocals
Paul Amandes and Peter Swenson, guitars
Stuart Rosenberg, mandolin
John Floeter, bass
Tom Amandes, piano

Words & Music by Tom Amandes
Musical arrangement by Peter Swenson with the Rogues.
Limited release audio CD A Collection of Rogues Recordings is available from J. O’Reilly Productions, 2005

© J. O’Reilly Productions, all rights reserved.

Read the story of the song and the White Fire letter.

“Then she sang them the Kerry Dances
with a ring of a piper’s tune
Soon the voice of her father would join in the song
Her aunts and her uncles would all sing along
Assured that the fire of their music was strong
For young Dorothy embodied a dream
that their own might as last win esteem”