Children’s Book Festival in Loughrea Library

Children’s Book Festival: On Wednesday 12^th October 2011, storytellers Billy Teare and Kathleen O’ Sullivan visited Loughrea Library and entertained 2^nd and 3^rd class students from Ballymanagh National School.

Billy and Kathleen preformed stories, songs and poems. They also showed the children some arts and crafts.

More information on the storytellers at: www.billy teare.com

Oranmore Heritage lecture in Oranmore Library

Laoise Ní Chomhraí visits Loughrea Library

Children’s Irish writer Laoise Ní Chomhraí visited Loughrea library. 1^st and 2^nd class students from Gaelscoil Riabhach listened as Laoise explained about Japanese and Polish cultures.

Laoise used visual aids and her two books ‘Ag Taisteal le Tarlach sa tSeapáin’ and ‘Ag Taisteal le Tarlach sa Pholainn’ to enthuse the students.

Scavenger Hunt in Oranmore Library

Oranmore Library is teaming with library detectives this month as part of the Children’s Book Festival 2011.

Local children have been trying their hands at detective work by taking part in a new Scavenger Hunt which is ongoing in Oranmore Library.
Participants must answer a set of questions using a map and clues and find the answers hidden around the library. There are six levels to complete in total, starting at the super-easy Bookworm all the way up to the mindbendingly difficult Wise Owl.

Not a Booker Winner?...Stephen Kelman's Mum

When I think of my mother I think of a childhood summer spent waking to the smell of solder and the sound of Abba drifting up from a tinny transistor radio in the kitchen, in an unremarkable council house where I learned to read from the books she gave me.
I think of a winter walking her home from the evening job she'd taken packing peanuts so she could buy me the complete Hitchhiker's Guide series that I'd set my heart on for Christmas.
More than any writer, it was my mother who taught me the value of words: how the most prosaic, such as "family" and "duty" and "work", take the most living up to, and how a respect for words might one day bring me the compensations and comforts that she was doing her best to provide by working at two, sometimes three jobs at a time.

My mum is the product of a class who accepted their lot, whose toils were largely thankless and whose dreams defaulted to the modest – a yearly caravan holiday and decent coats for the kids. I'm also a product of that class, but one generation further along and with the benefit of her example – an example given quietly in unfussy acts of generosity – I am able to enjoy the kind of life that she could only aspire to on my behalf.

Stephen Kelman's Pigeon English (Bloomsbury) was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker prize and longlisted for the Guardian First Book award.

A version of this article appeared on p5 of the Guardian review section of the Guardian on Saturday 15 October 2011.

Loughrea Library - Free concerts

Sunday 29^th September saw the Music Club stage their monthly free concert in Loughrea Library.
The Sunus Chamber Choir, conducted by Audrey Corbett, and the Yukatope String Quartet gave an uplifting performance. Songs performed included ‘Who shall have my lady fair’ by Pearsal and the amusing ‘Marry an ugly woman’ by De Paur.

Musical pieces included; Andante Cantabile from Quartet Number 1 in D, Opus 11 by Peter Tchaikovsky and Take the ‘A’ train by

Billy Strayhorn.
Two solo cello pieces were performed by Peter Sebestyen; Prelude from Cello Suite in G and Sarabande from Cello Suite Number 1 by J.S. Bach.

Date for your diary: Saturday October 22^nd at 8pm Leisureland- ‘Gilbert and Sullivan Extravaganza’- Galway Baroque Singers and RTE Concert Orchestra.

Tuam Library - Children’s Book Festival

Tuesday 11^th October: Author Patricia Forde visited Tuam library entertained children from Castlehackett, Belmount and Mercy Primary.

• Wednesday 19^th October: 11.00 – 12.00 Class visit from Sylane school 12.00 – 1.00
• Mercy Primary school Yellow Flag Launch for Social Inclusion Week
• Thursday 20^th October: Talk on Tuam Library for the Carers Association
• Saturday 22^nd October: Latin American Spanish Workshop for adults.

Loughrea Library News

On Saturday 24^th September 2011, Loughrea Library hosted the award ceremony for the Circus Stars Summer Reading Challenge.
Certificates, medals and goodie bags were administered by Mayor of Galway, Cllr. Michael Maher, County Librarian Pat McMahon and Senior Executive Librarian Maureen Moran, along with library staff Anne Callanan, Gretel Sullivan, Sheila Reilly and Stephanie Ronan.

Almost 200 children completed the reading challenge at Loughrea library and received their award on the day, along with prizes for best review, colouring and a raffle.

Our photo shows Mayor Maher with some young prize winners.

Galway Libraries - Children’s Book Festival Events

The Children’s Book Festival runs for the month of October every year and sees libraries, schools and bookshops across the country hosting events with the very best Irish and international children’s writers and illustrators. This week some of the story-telling events taking place in Galway Libraries include:

Patricia Forde:

Tuam library 11^th October

Niall de Burca:

Monday 10^th Westside library

Tuesday 11^th Galway City Library

Wednesday 12^th: Dunmore, Ballygar and Tuam Libraries

Thursday 13^th: Athenry and Headford Libraries

Circus Stars Reading Challenge Awards in Ballybane Library

Ballybane Library had it's award ceremony last Thursday and Friday for the children that completed the ‘Circus Stars’ Reading challenge this Summer.

419 children signed up to the challenge 250 children and 150 parents completed it.

CoCo the clown entertained the crowds.