Shula,

Thanks for the translation of Ladino. I didn't know that - my family have seriously lost their roots in that only the religious traditions and very little of the cultural heritage have been passed down. My mother's family is of Sephardi origins and it is believed they left Spain during the inquistion / Armada years. Ladino stuff would certainly interest me there. My Father's family is Ashkenasi, Eastern European, most noteably from Poland and Lithuania. I wonder did my forefathers play Klezmer in shtetls? So there you have it, I am just a regular half-breed!

Charlie Baum,

I've visited the Tara Publications site a few times and I've a CD or two on order of old (1920's) Klez recordings. I didn't know where to start re: books of yiddish songs etc. Thanks for this post. Looking forward to the Zemirot project. I wanted to add, however, that Clannad and Enya and many other Irish, Breton groups etc - sing in Gaelic which is understood in only a few pockets of land in Ireland (including West Belfast). Unfamiliarity with a language shouldn't deter people from listening to it. It seems to me that the Irish traditional revival over the past few decades has infiltrated the mass mind and it has now become quite acceptable. The Yiddish revival (Klez, Ladino, Hebrew) will also have it's day.

Tiocfaidh ar la! (Our day will come, pronounced chucky ar lar)

Laoise.