Cavanaugh's County Celtic and Beyond opened in Butte, Montana in a small three-room house on November 20, 2001. Within five weeks we were eyeing new locations to place our expanding inventory. A lovely building in Historic Uptown Butte was chosen and we closed the small shop and opened the expanded version on Feb. 11, 2002 in time to receive customers on St.Patrick's Day.

We chose a Celtic theme although it is decidedly Irish. At the turn of the 20th Century Butte had nearly 100,000 people, which held in it the largest population of Irish west of Boston, so Irish seemed the perfect fit.

We have invested more than 35 years of retail experience and savings in Butte, in our heritage and our history with the hopes of bringing all of these topics alive again on the shelves of a little Irish shop.

We bring to you a wide selection of items; books (historical, language, children's and many current releases), a huge selection of music (Celtic traditional, Christmas, country, jazz, rock, country, soulful, etc.).

We also carry CDs by the renowned Montana Irish band Dublin Gulch, "Any Day Above Ground Is a Good One" (also for $15) and the music of Celtic artists from around the country and around the world.

Also, we carry a variety of jewelry (sterling, pewter and some gold ranging in prices from under $10 for the sterling and Cornish pewter to hundreds of dollars for the gold).

We carry name crest flags: we can order almost any name and we have a huge stock in the shop now.

In fact we carry a wide selection of clothing to keep you warm, including machine loomed sweaters, hooded sweatshirts, fleece and micro fiber vests and zip-up sweatshirts. Our selection of Celtic designed tee-shirts is also very popular. We have popular wool caps on order and coming from County Cork, too.

To our esteemed customers, we offer tea, teapots (starting at $30), teacups and mugs by the score!

We have a wide selection of specially designed tea party items with our own imprint of Cavanaugh's Butte America on each as well. We have just added Irish Christening gowns, and we carry lovely wedding items, cake toppers, photo frames and the most beautiful sterling silver and gold-coated hand-made wedding tiaras from Scotland.

One of the most important aspects of our shop is carrying local and regional items for sale. We have incredible shields and swords and Celtic crosses crafted by a local metalsmith. We have added Celtic artworks from a wonderful artist in Great Falls and stained glass items from artists in Boulder and Clancy, Montana. We also carry a selection of books by local authors.

Our selection changes constantly based on availability and season, so please call us with questions at 406-723-1183.

Montana Gaelic Cultural Society and the 2012 An Rí Rá

We are active members and steadfast supporters of the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society and their efforts to bring Irish culture to Montana through their promotion of Irish language classes, music, film and historical events. An Rí Rá, the Montana Irish Festival to be held in Historic Uptown Butte next August to showcase our city and our Celtic heritage.

The Society founded the Festival several years ago. It began as a simple celebration on the street in front of Sean Kelly's Public House in Missoula and in previous years, the festival was held at Caras Park. The need to expand resulted in moving the festival to one of the most Irish cities in America, Butte. This is where the Butte Irish lived, worked, shopped and played and it is where their eyes are still smiling upon us now.

The event in 2012 will again include music, workshops, history, lectures, childrens activities, and sports event. An Irish Mass with hymns sung in Gaelic/Irish on Sunday will be followed by our raffle and an all-invited picnic at Emma Park. Sports events will include a scramble golf tournament and a 5k fun run. The festival will include more workshops, too, including an opportunity to spend a weekend immersion in Irish language and workshops to learn Irish dance. For the latest developments visit www.mtgaelic.org.

The ultimate goal of this celebration is to locate an Irish Cultural and Studies Center in Butte. This will bring attention to Butte from around the world. Butte has a special place in the hearts and minds of Irish America and Ireland alike and this Center is a natural fit for Butte and Montana.

Go raibh maith agat agus Fáilte (Thank you and Welcome)

For more information about next summer's festival, call Brendan McDonough at 406-498-3983.