Mary O'Leary (Máire Bhuí Ní Laoire) was one of the most celebrated Irish-language folk poets of the 19th century. She composed songs that were built to last – songs collected and preserved by folklorists that now occupy a significant place in the repertoires of contemporary traditional performers. In this, the first full-length treatment of the life, times and poetry of Mary O'Leary, Irish-Canadian author Brian Brennan examines the phenomenon of one of the few female oral poets of her generation to achieve name recognition after her death.