Entering the theatrical world as a child he wouldn't become famous until he was over forty years of age and would best be remembered for his dramatic portrayal of Irish country life in plays like Peep O'Day and 'Eileen Oge.

Edmund O'Rourke's acting career would first gain him renown at the age of forty-one in Liverpool in 1854 when he demonstrated his ability to perform on a very diverse scale by performing in 'Hamlet' and the contemporary comedy 'Three Fingered Jack', on the same night at the Adelphi Theater. Two years later he would adopt the stage name of 'Edmund Falconer' and have his first successful play in 'The Cagot or Heart for Heart', a five act performance written entirely in verse. His ability to write verse next led him to compose two librettos- 'The Rose of Castile' and 'Satanella both of which were for Balfe's operas. Falconer's prominence in the London stage scene would be solidified when he starred in Boucicault's 'The Colleen Bawn' in 1860.

Not satisfied with simply starring in plays or composing verse Falconer next turned his energy toward theater managing and production. In 1861 he began managing the Lyceum and quickly used his management position to his advantage by staging his own works and scoring two hits in 'Woman, Love Against The World' and Peep 0 Day', which would be perhaps the piece of work he'd best be remembered for.

Edmund Falconer O'Rourke died in1879 at the age of 66, leaving behind a notable and diverse literary collection of poems and plays.

If your surname is O'Rourke or one of its' variants or if you are friends with an O'Rourke, you owe it to yourself to buy this unique book.

Written, researched and edited by Irish-American Stephen Vincent O'Rourke this book is the first history of the family written by one of it's own.Higginson Books of Salem, MA is offering this title on a print-to order book as a softcover or hardcover.