Dunmore Library History& Heritage Lecture

Dunmore History & Heritage Society's next lecture will take place on September 29th in Dunmore Library at 8pm.
This September is the 200th Anniversary of the Augustinian Eremites leaving Dunmore. To honour the occasion we will have a short prayer service in the Abbey at 7pm, which will be followed by a lecture. The talk will cover the period in Dunmore before the Augustinians arrived and their illustrious history in Dunmore until they were up-rooted from Dunmore on September 30th 1809. The speaker will be Hubert Birmingham.

Galway Culture Night 2009

On September 25th Galway City Library features a world of literary and arts celebration on Culture Night, headlined by a very special event. Reflecting on the exemplary life of poet and doctor William Carlos Williams " A River of Words" is an entertainment for all ages contemplating through words and images a great writer and a great man. Popular Galway wordsmith, the mellifluous Susan Millar Du Mars, narrates the story. Starts at 6.45pm

Following this at 8.00pm there will be a performance by the amazing Niceol Blue a locally based singer songwriter with great reputation.
Admission is free.

Europe Direct Exhibitions in Ballinasloe Library

An exhibition on "Climate Change" from the European Commission is at

Europe Direct Ballinasloe for the month of September. The exhibition shows the various ways in which we can save energy and looks at alternative forms of heating,fuels etc. It also looks at the importance of sharing this knowledge with our young children ie.the next generation.

This exhibition is touring all of the Europe Direct Centres throughout Ireland. Energy{Climate} is one of the 7 priorities of this Commission..the others being 1.EP Elections, 2.20th Anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain, 3.Growth,Jobs and Solidarity, 4.EU in the World, 5.Future of Europe 6.EU 10 Enlargement and 6.Energy{Climate}.

Also, Europe Direct Ballinasloe has an exhibition on the Lisbon Treaty,which will run up to early October.This is to inform the general public about the information already available in Ballinasloe ED Centre and also to refer them to other areas where they will get balanced information on BOTH sides of the debate.Copies of the White Paper produced by the Dept of Foreign Affairs are available free of charge together with the European Comissions Guide to the Lisbon Treaty and other bi-lingual pamphlets and leaflets.

A guide to voting ,in simple easy to understand language is also provided,together with a list of websites which discuss both sides of the arguments for and against the Treaty.

A simple guide on the language used in the Treaty is also provided.

Europe Direct Ballinasloe provides this information for the general public without bias to either side of the debate.

Arts Week in Clifden Library

The 32nd Clifden Arts Festival takes place from September 17-27th, showcasing the best of national and internation poetry, drama, artists and writers. The following events are taking place in Clifden Library.All are welcome. Admission charge applies.

17 September 2009 4:30pm

Readings: Maureen Gallagher, Patricia Burke Brogan, Alan Mc Monagle
18 September 2009 1:00pm

Galway Arts Centre’s Advanced Workshop
18 September 2009 4:30pm

Reading with poets Gerard Smyth and Enrique Juncosa
21 September 2009 1:00pm

Reading with Des Fogerty, historian, restaurateur and rugby coach
21 September 2009 4:30pm

Poetry & Prose reading with writers Aine Ui Fhoghlu and Ed Boyne
22 September 2009 4:30pm

Joint poetry reading with Michael Coady and Tony Curtis
23 September 2009 1:00pm

J.M.Synge’s The Aran Islands
23 September 2009 4:30pm

Actress Jeananne Crowley introduces the work of Sydney Owenson, Lady Morgan
24 September 2009 4:30pm

Reading with leading poet Eamon Grennan.
25 September 2009 1:00pm

Book Launch: Eugene O'Connell's The Diviner
25 September 2009 4:00pm

Reading with the poet Mary O’Malley

Mann Booker Prize Shortlist

The Mann Booker Prize, commonly known as the Booker Prize, aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The Man Booker judges are selected from the country's finest critics, writers and academics to maintain the consistent excellence of the prize. The award was established in 1969.

In a lineup with a strong focus on historical fiction, favourite Hilary Mantel also made the final six, alongside Sarah Waters, but perennial Booker bridesmaids Colm Tóibín (who has been shortlisted twice before) and acclaimed Irish novelist William Trevor (shortlisted four times) failed to make the cut. Surprise longlist selection Me Cheeta, James Lever's "memoir" of the chimp who starred in the Tarzan films, was also overlooked.

The shortlisted titles are:
The Children's Book by A S Byatt (Random House, Chatto and Windus)
Summertime by J M Coetzee (Random House, Harvill Secker)
The Quickening Maze by Adam Fould (Random House, Jonathan Cape)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer (Little, Brown)
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (Little, Brown, Virago)

Wood of Life Exhibition in Galway City Library

The Wood of Life, a travelling, hands-on, interactive exhibition which deals with the social, economic and environmental importance of the world's forests, is currently on display in Galway City Library, Augustine Street, Galway.

Everyone in the world depends on nature and ecosystem services to provide the conditions for a decent, healthy, and secure life. The organization Just Forests, who have assembled the exhibition, use the state of the world’s forests as a tool to establish links between 'development' and poverty.

The Wood of Life exhibition has very broad appeal and impacts on many social disciplines.

The purpose of Just Forests activities is to heighten awareness of the implicit/explicit role which wood and trees play in our lives. Just Forests endeavour to guide society towards a more responsible stewardship of this finite resource before it’s too late.

The exhibition continues in Galway City Library until September 24th.

Oranmore Library to the Universe

From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) is a collection of astronomical images that showcases the most dramatic views of our Universe. The images represent the incredible variety of astronomical objects that are known to exist – planets, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and the clusters in which they congregate – and is being exhibited in over 250 locations throughout the world in 2009 and 2010.

The images in the "From Earth to the Universe" project have been selected to represent the wide range of telescopes and observations available in modern astronomy. All the images are in color. In the visible light or optical images, the colors are approximately how you would see them if you were close enough and your eyes sensitive enough

Oranmore Library is the latest venue for this fantastic exhibition. It runs until 18th September and was provided with the assistance of Astronomy Ireland.

Contempo Quartet in Galway Libraries