Tuam Library Children’s Book Festival prizewinners 2014

Exhibition in Galway City Library

Galway’s Great Read event in Ballinasloe Library

Galway’s Great Read event in Ballinasloe Library i

 John Boland reads from Sebastian Barry’s A long long way, the book chosen for Galway’s Great Read.

Mary Clancy, NUI Galway discussed the sources of information available on WWI, she talked about life-stories and examined the involvement of Galway women in various aspects of World War I.

Sam Angus, Children’s author talks about the influences that brought about her characters in her books; Soldier Dog, Hero and Captain

Sam Angus talks to children from two local schools –Laurencetown NS and Ballinasloe Gaelscoil, about her books and about writing.

Polar Express arrives in Galway for Christmas

Christmas Trees in Galway City & Tuam Libraries

Galway Libraries 2nd 'Galway’s Great Read Creative Writing Competition Winner'

 Dualgas Dhónail

Pádraic Ó Giobúin

Sea chuala Dónal, i dtaobh na hóráid’, a thug Mac Réamoinn ar an Woodenbridge,   

gurb é leas na Fódhla, i dtús an Fhómhair, a ghabháil chun catha don sean namhaid. 
Go mbeadh féin rialtas, le fáil mar íocaíocht, nuair a thabharfaí an Bheilg slán,   
go mbeadh deireadh choíche, le ansmacht rithe, ‘s go mbeadh lán saoirse ag feara Fáil.

Thug Dónal aird, ar cheann an pháirtí, gur chuir síos a ainm ar liosta an rí,                                  

 is bhí a chairde, teacht le cosa in airde, le fonn a gcuid a thabhairt don tír.

Shroich siad ceann scríbe, anseo sa trinse, is dhírigh gunnaí ar an dream úd thall,            

 ba sa sruthán draoibe, gan díon ná dídean, a bheadh siad feasta i dtír na nGall.

Bhí tú lán le imní, ar feadh na hoíche, is níor chodail néal nó gur bhreac an lá,                  

an boladh nimhneach, i mbarr na gaoithe, a chuirfeadh iompú ar an laoch is fearr.           

Thosaigh gunnaí brúchtaíl, is an talamh ag luascadh, bhéic an ceannfort amach an gháir,

chuir an fheadóg tús, leis an ionsaí fuilteach, is chuaigh sibh suas is amach thar barr.

Bhí na sreanga géara, ag breith ar ghéaga, is na poill ‘cur bac leis an sodar mear,               

bhí gunnaí scréachadh,  ‘s ag déanamh réabadh, ag fágáil bearnaí sna buíonta fear.              

gurbh éigin casadh, gan an líne a thrasnú,  is filleadh ‘rís ar an bportach láib’                    

ach mo chéad faraor, bhí cuid mhaith feara, nár thug na cosa leo slán ón ngábh.

Bhí na francaigh ramhra, ag teacht chun tórramh, ‘s a cothú  scéin’ agus uafás mór,            

is a Dhia na Glóire, tabhair dúinn fóirithint, sin í impí Dhónail i ngleann na ndeor,           

mar tá Seán ar iarraidh, ‘gus níor fhill Diarmaid, níl tásc ná tuairisc le fáil ar Dan,              

ní sheasfadh ciaróg, leis an bpléascadh síoraí, atá baint croitheadh as no man’s land.

Is fada an ród é, go Tiobraid Árann, is an cailín álainn, ‘d’fhág tú  Sliabh na mBan,            

is dá bhfaighfeá, do chead amárach, níl aon rud ab fhearr leat, ná bheith léi sa ngleann,

ach tá an t-ordú faighte, tá an focal ráite, níl aird ná luach ar an saighdiúir bocht,

níl aon rud le rá ad, pé ar bith tá i ndán duit, ag an maor sa gcathaoir tá an focal scoir.

Ba ag geataí Ypres, a chríochnaigh d’íobairt, le píosa srapnail go domhain sa gcnámh,        

bhí tú gonta spíonta, ‘gus ar leath-chos sínte, is seoladh ar ais thú go críocha Fáil.          .                 

Ní raibh romhat aon fháilte, ní raibh glóir san ár seo, agus níl do náisiún beag fós saor,                     

tá do mhisneach caillte, tú gan mórán cairde, do chuimhne lán den íocaíocht dhaor.

Galway Libraries 'Galway’s Great Read Creative Writing Competition Winner'

The first of  this year’s winners of  Galway Libraries Galway’s Great Read Creative Writing Competition is Michael Gallagher with this poignant piece entitled First light. Congratulations Michael.

I remember sleep. I am however afraid to venture forth into its duplicitous arms, for I know what awaits me there. My sleep is scarred by the faces of the dead, the screaming of the shells and the cries of dying men. Sleep has become but a stepping stone from one vision of hell to another. Of late, Private Joe Kearney skulks in the shadows of my dreams, ready to step into the limelight, to replay the savage agony of his death one more time before we go.
Joe and I grew up together. We set sail for England together. We joined up together. He died alone. His life was stolen away on a soft summer morning last week. A victim of the ugliest weapon of this war, the flame thrower; a recent addition to a hellish armoury already desperately overstocked.
Consumed by the flames, Joe Kearney fell to his knees, raised his arms to the heavens and beseeched some higher being for aid that would never come. And for several terrible moments, it was as if the crude pandemonium of the battlefield settled in volume so that I might better imprint the sickening drama of Joe’s cruel demise on my memory. Joe Kearney’s screams will remain with me until the day I die.
That day may not be as distant as I might wish. At first light I will step once more into no man’s land.
No man’s land.
An aptly named place if ever there was one, for no man should be forced to set foot on such God forsaken soil. The numbing omnipresent fear in the trench is merely a warm up for the terror that lies beyond. Once you climb the ladder and step out onto the battlefield there is only a carpet of tattered, blackened corpses, barbed wire and malevolent flying death for company. There is no mercy in no man’s land. There are no heroes in no man’s land; there are only the dead and the temporarily reprieved.
The bombardment has already begun. It is but the precursor for what will come at first light, another bloody attack. The ground shakes, my hands shake, even the rats that cower in the corners of the trench have been driven half mad by the ugly thunder of the shelling. The night is alive with the pulsating fury of a thousand tons of TNT raining down upon the enemy. I would revel in the majesty of the lightshow if I believed for one
First Light 3
moment that it would put an end to the Hun. Nothing should survive the ferocity of such a high explosive assault, but survive they do. No matter how long, how intense the bombardment, they are always there, manning the machine guns with a vindictiveness worthy of the devil himself.
This is truly the death of civilisation. It can only be the end of the world. The stench of rotting corpses, latrine buckets, cordite and sweat permeates everything. The sights, the sounds, the stink, every sense is polluted by the brutality of this infernal conflict. We have been banished like criminals to a disgusting wasteland where mayhem, savage violence and cold hard steel are king. It is indeed a long way to Tipperary.
I am not a coward but my courage has been poisoned over time by the intolerable trauma of battle. A wound would be a blessed relief. How much of myself would I be willing to sacrifice to gain a reprieve from the ongoing insanity of this wretched place? Would an arm be payment enough to buy me a ticket home?
And should death come to call, how will it choose to spirit me away? Will my demise torment the dreams of another like me or will I meet my end like Lanky O’ Rourke?
Lanky simply stumbled and fell in no man’s land like he’d tripped on an untied shoe lace. He collapsed face down into the unremitting mud and stirred no more, an unremarkable passing. Over time I’m sure he disappeared into that mud, the relentless clinging mud that holds a hundred thousand comrades, brothers, fathers and sons in its embrace.
I am surrounded now by the threadbare ranks of our original unit, our numbers shored up by raw recruits who arrive to fill the boots of our fallen comrades. We veterans ignore these inexperienced replacements. Why get to know someone who may well be filleted in obscene ruin on the field of battle within twenty four hours. I have lost enough friends already. I will lose no more.
The shelling has ceased. The familiar post barrage stillness hangs in the air. It is an ominous silence, heavy with the weight of what will come at dawn. I might wish it so but this night will not last forever.
First light is on its way.

Ballybane Library - 'Interactive read aloud with Kayla'

Picture from today's 'Interactive read aloud with Kayla'

Kayla Williams student teacher from Galway Educate Together as part of her community outreach experience.

'Galway's Great Read' in Tuam Library

Gort Vibes Cinema Club will be screening The Lunchbox in Gort library

Gort Vibes Cinema Club will be screening The Lunchbox in Gort library at 8pm on Thurs. 4^th December.
Some romances are written in the stars. Others, it would seem, can be chalked up to a misread street map. When a lunchbox painstakingly prepared by Ila (Nimrat Kaur) for her emotionally distant husband is mistakenly delivered to Saajan (the wonderful Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi), the under-appreciated Mumbai housewife and lonely accountant strike up an intimate correspondence. Continuing to use Mumbai’s legion of lunch couriers as their go-betweens, they share increasingly involved letters detailing their inner thoughts and life stories. The tinges of disappointment and regret that punctuate these missives reflect the enticing soulfulness of Ritesh Batra’s debut. In turn, there’s exhilaration to be had watching these characters realize that their futures are unwritten. But will they put down their pens and overcome the obstacles keeping them from one another? - Vancouver International Film Festival 2013

Galway writer Catherine Vallely invites you to a reading of her new novel in Tuam Library

Ballinasloe Library/EuropeDirect Soapbox 2014 Galway National & Winner Siobhan Fitzgerald in Westside Library

Library Ireland Week

Activities in Ballybane Library

Recent 'Monster' Art Workshop

Jay Ryan of Pignut Puppets performing for Children from Scoil Chaitríona

Exhibition Of World War1 Poets

Halloween Story time

Storytelle,r Niaill de Burca read to 5th Class students from Briarhill NS as part of Galway County Council's   Decade of Commemoration events entitled 'Where the Poppies Grow'

Liam O'Flaherty Reading Circle in Westside Library

'Galway's Great Read' Events in Ballinasloe, Clifden & Gort Libraries

Mary Clancy, NUI Galway, researches women's political, social, labour and life histories, contributes to documentaries through the medium of Irish and English and organises public history events.

She is giving her talk on 'Galway Women and World War 1' in Ballinasloe Library on Tuesday 18th November at 6.00pm and Clifden Library Wednesday 19th November at 6.00pmas as part of Galway's Great Read.

She will discuss sources of information and questions about life-stories in addition to examining how the First World War affected  the lives of women in County Galway.

 

Sam Angus is taking part in the Galway Great Read WW1 event on Tuesday night in Ballinasloe. She’s addressing Gort Boys school on Tuesday afternoon in Gort Library, then Wednesday morning she’s in Ballinasloe for two sessions with Scoil Chroi Naofa, Laurencetown NS and Newton NS., Creagh.

Sam’s presentations relate to animals in the World Wars, ie. messenger dogs, cavalry horses etc.

Clifden Library - West Connemara and the Great War

Ballybane Library hosting November Exhibition by Galway artist Derek McGlynn

EEK it's Halloween Storytime in Westside Library!

Gort Vibes Cinema Club in Gort Library

Gort Vibes Cinema Club will be screening ‘Omar’ directed by Hany Abu-Assad at 8pm on Thursday 6^th November in Gort public library.

A compelling thriller of love and treachery in the West Bank.  

Winner – Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, Cannes Film Festival 2013 Nominated – Best Foreign Language Film, Academy Awards 2013

Europe Direct Soapbox Competition – Westside Library

Do you have a strong opinion on the Internet?  If so, check out this year's Europe Direct Soapbox competition on the theme: "The Internet does more harm than good".
Entry is open to all and contestants can compete in one of two categories: 18 and under and 19 and over.
Each contestant must present a three minute speech for or against the topic at the regional event before a public audience and a panel of judges. The winner from each category will receive an iPad.
Both will qualify for the grand final in Farmleigh House, Dublin on November 12^th , where the first prizes in each category will be presented by Minister Alan Kelly TD, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The first prize winners in each category will win a €1,000 and a trip to Brussels.

The regional competition, organised by Ballinasloe EDIC, takes place at Westside Library, Galway, on Tuesday November 4^th from 6pm.

For further details and entry forms contact Ballinasloe Library at 090 9643464;
email ballinasloe@galwaylibrary.ie; twitter @ballinasloeEDIC.

'Galway's Great Read' - Galway City Library Reading Aloud Group

Oranmore Library Photo Exhibition

"Summer in Hibernia" by Katja Rataj a photographic exhibition in Oranmore Library from 30th Oct- 8th Nov.

'Storm Archaeology on the Connacht Coast' in Oranmore Library

Tuam Library - Wand Making Workshop

Free Puppet Shows in Loughrea and Gort Libraries

Westside Library - Children's Book Festival Event

'Weaving Stories, Threading Lives' in Galway City Library

Weaving Stories, Threading Lives - Social Inclusion Week in Galway City Library

Exhibition Clifden Library

'Galway’s Great Read'

'Galway’s Great Read' is an initiative to encourage everyone in county Galway to engage with a the same book at the same time.

Galway Libraries chose A Long Long Way by Sebastian Barry as its first Great Read. This initiative is part of Galway County Council’s Decade of Commemoration that is marking the centenary of key historic events that will occur over the coming years.

The theme for the 1914-2014 commemoration is political change and the World War I, and library staff believe that Barry’s story has captured the complexity of that change especially in regard to later events that occurred in Ireland

Con Tempo String Quartet hosting their music workshop with children from Scoil Chroi Iosa

Culture night in Ballinasloe Library/Europe Direct Centre