Oranmore Library - Oranmore Twins with French Town of Clohars-Fouesnant

Heritage Lectures in Oranmore Library - 30 November

Over the Edge Open Reading in Galway City Library

Social Inclusion Week in Loughrea Library

Social Inclusion Week

Students from Gaelscoil Riabhach gave a lunchtime song recital on 20^th October 2011 as part of Social Inclusion Week. Family, friends and some members of St. Brendan’s Day Centre all enjoyed the tuneful performance. An audience member said it was like ‘a trip down memory lane’.
Well done Gaelscoil Riabhach!

Europe Direct Ballinasloe Library Samaritans Exhibition

The Europe Direct Centre at Ballinasloe Library recently hosted an exhibition on the voluntary organization, The Samaritans. The aim of this was to celebrate the European Year of Volunteering and to bring together other voluntary organizations in the area.
The exhibition consisted of 24 panels consisting of photographs by Derek Spiers and showed volunteers at work in various locations throughout Ireland.....Samaritans volunteers work at helplines,throughout the community

in prisons,public events and they accept

emails and texts also.

The exhibition in Ballinasloe was opened by the Mayor of County Galway,Mr Michael 'Mogie' Maher .

Europe Direct Centres were set up by the European Commission to provide information to citizens on the daily work of the European Union.There are 8 centres in Ireland ..including 2 in Galway at Ballinasloe and An Cheathru Rua.

Seamus O'Kelly Players in Loughrea Library

The Seamus O'Kelly Players present "The Collection", a series of excerpts, scenes and monologues taken from some well known, and not so well known plays, 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th November from 8.30pm in Loughrea Library.

Tickets €10/8 ( 2 for €15 in advance) from Connaughtons Foodstore, Barrack Street. Limited seating.
Further info. contact Fiona 086-8289918 or Martin 087-7996020.
Location: Loughrea Library, Church Street, Loughrea

Galway Best Library Service 2011

At the recent Chamber's Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards, Councillor Michael Maher, Mayor of the County of Galway accepted, on behalf of Galway County Council, the Best Library Service Award 2011 from Mr. Phil Hogan, TD, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. This is the second year in row Galway Libraries have won this award.

The mission of Galway County Libraries is to inspire more people to read more. Based on this, Galway County Libraries, in association with The Reading Agency (UK), has been running a Summer Reading Programme since 2006. This years Summer Reading Programme was themed: Nurturing Literacy and the Imagination

Each June children are invited to register for the programme at their local library where they receive a membership card/log card and other information. The programme is not competitive: children read at their own pace with the emphasis being on enjoyment, exploring different authors and genres, enabling the child to become a confident and discerning reader. Participation is free. As “Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible”: Galway County libraries have a key role to play in encouraging a love of books and reading.

Photographed left-to-right are: Eugene Cummins, Director of Services, Galway County Council, Councillor Michael Maher, Mayor of the County of Galway, Maureen Moran, Senior Executive Librarian, Galway County Council, Pat McMahon, County Librarian, Galway County Council.

Stupid Sock Creatures at Oranmore Library

As part of the Children's Book Festival in Oranmore Library local artist and crafter Roisin Cúre held a series of workshops on how to make toys from old socks. Using the book Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy as inspiration, children had great fun learning to cut sew and stuff old socks to create unique and wacky soft toys. This book is available to borrow from Oranmore Library and is full of fantastic ideas for Christmas gifts.

Loughrea Library - 5th BAFFLE Poetry Festival 2011

Loughrea library hosted ‘The BAFFLE Interview: Up close and Personal’ on Friday 28^th October. Author, psychoanalyst and former RTE producer/director and newscaster Michael Murphy was interviewed by author and broadcaster Liam Nolan for a very enjoyable event.

A musical introduction to the evening was provided by TheLoughrea Barbershop Group.Loughrea born Lola Montes regarded by many on the continent as a courtesan) was the inspiration for the 2011 theme of ‘Rumour has it’, maintaining BAFFLE’s reputation of being ‘Ireland’s quirkiest poetry society’.

The ‘BAFFLE Bard’ trophy, locally known as ‘the turnip’ is inscribed with the competition winner’s name each year and is housed in Loughrea Library.reputation of being ‘Ireland’s quirkiest poetry society’.

Best Library Service Award for Galway Libraries

At the Chambers Ireland Excellence in Local Government Awards ceremony in Dublin last night Galway County Council won the Best Library Service Award 2011 for its Summer Reading Programme: Nurturing Literacy & Imagination

The Mayor, Councillor Michael Maher, accepted the award on behalf of Galway County Council from the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr. Phil Hogan, TD.

This is the second year in a row in which Galway County Council has won the Best Library Service Award.

Library Banners @ LAI Public Libraries’ Section Conference 2011 –

Touring Puppet Theatre in Loughrea Library

Julie-Rose McCormick brought her touring puppet theatre to Loughrea Library on recently.
She preformed an interactive ‘Punch and Judy’ style show for 1^st class students of Ballymanagh National School. The children enjoyed the show, offering up great advice and their opinions to the puppets!

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.

Positive Ageing Week Photo Exhibition in Ballybane Library

Positive Ageing Week is a festival which highlights the positive aspects of ageing and celebrates the contribution older people have made and continue to make to their communities. Age Action Ireland coordinates Positive Ageing Week.

The central aim of Positive Ageing Week is to dispel the many negative perceptions that surround ageing and to transform attitudes towards ageing and older people. We need to

An exhibition of photographs which will challenge negative public perceptions of ageing and older people is currently touring Ireland.celebrate the fact that we are living longer, that ageing is not a burden but an opportunity.

The exhibition features the winning images and some of the other images from Age Action’s Positive Ageing Week Photographic Competition that has been held over the past four years.

“If, for example, you fear ageing and believe it will be a time of poor health or isolation, then we would urge you to drop in and view these images of ordinary older people continue to enjoy their lives into their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond,” Age Action chief executive Robin Webster said.

The exhibition will be on view in Ballybane Library during Positive Ageing Week, which runs from September 23 to October 1.

Top Picture: Kevin Molloy - ESB, Hildegard Naughton, Pete Mullineaux – Journeys Creative writing

Bottom PictureKevin: Molloy - ESB, Hildegard Naughton, Anna Marie Byrne – Age Action West

September Over The Edge -Open Reading Thursday, September 29th, 6.30pm-8pm Galway City Library

Featured Readers are Aileen Armstrong, Davnet Heery and Moyra Donaldson. The evening will also see the announcement of the winners of this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of the Year. The competition judge is Elaine Feeney.

Moyra Donaldson was born and brought up in Co Down and has been described as one of the country’s most distinctive and accomplished writers: a poet whose voice is full of integrity and mystery. Her first full collection of poems Snakeskin Stilettos was published in 1998, followed by Beneath the Ice in 2001, both from Lagan Press. She has received four awards from the Arts Council NI, most recently, the Artist Career Enhancement Award. Moyra’s poems have featured on radio and television, including the Channel 4 production, Poems to Fall in Love With. Horse’s Nest, was published by Lagan Press in 2006 and described in Poetry Ireland Review as ‘one of the most enjoyable poetry books of the last few years.’ Her most recent collection, Miracle Fruit, was published by Lagan Press in November 2010.

Aileen Armstrong’s writing has appeared in the Stinging Fly, Three Times Daily, Some Blind Alleys, and Cuadrivio (in Spanish translation). In 2009, she graduated from the M.A. in Writing programme at NUIG, and in 2010, she received a literature bursary award from the Arts Council of Ireland. She lives in Co. Galway, and is currently working on a collection of short stories.

A long-time resident of Cois Fharraige, Connemara, Davnet Heery enjoys solitary walks along the shore and on the bog, day-dreaming. Recently graduated from the MA in Writing at NUIG she has had a giddy summer reading at literary festivals countrywide for the launch of the class anthology Bicycles with Umbrellas. Primarily a poet (she has been grant aided by Galway Co.Co. to work towards a collection Camellia) she also enjoys writing plays. Her short story The Little Girl in Pink was short-listed for The Francis Mc Manus award, 2011.

There will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars.

Culture Night in Galway City Library

Arts Festival opens in Clifden Library

The opening event of the Arts Festival in Clifden Library on thursday 15th September saw poet and short story writer Susan Millar DuMars read from her first collection of short stories, Lights in the Distance.

Poet and writer Susan Lindsay who lives in Galway gave a reading. Whispering the Secrets is her first collection of poetry.

Tim Mullarkey, fiction writer, psychotherapist and teacher gave a reading of his work.

'Connections' Exhibition in Ballybane Library

‘Connections’ is an Art exhibition presently on display in Ballybane Library painted by the Service Users from St. Kevins of the John Paul Centre, Ballybane. It was launched by James Harold

Oranmore Library Knitting Club

Oranmore library had a very creative summer with the children’s knitting club which ran every Tuesday during the summer holidays. The children loved trying out new things like knitting with straw, making pom poms, knitting with beads and 7 cord braiding.

They had a wonderful collection of bags, headbands, hats and teddybears to show off at the end of the 8 weeks and were very proud of all their hard work.

Man Booker Shortlist 2011

The Man Booker Prize 2011 shortlist has been released, overlooking Alan Hollinghurst, the early favourite to scoop the prize when the longlist was announced in July.

Previous nominee Julian Barnes makes the cut, alongside debut authors AD Miller, for Snowdrops, and Stephen Kelman with Pigeon English, also longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

They are joined by Carol Birch (Jamrach's Menagerie), Patrick deWitt (The Sisters Brothers) and Esi Edugyan (Half Blood Blues).

Last year the Booker was won by Howard Jacobson for his comic novel The Finkler Question.

The winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize for Fiction will be announced on Tuesday 18 October at a dinner at London’s Guildhall and will be broadcast on the BBC.

The winner will receive £50,000 and each of the six shortlisted authors, including the winner, will receive £2,500 and a designer bound edition of their book.

Janis Ian makes interesting speech on libraries

Janis Ian the songwriter, performer, and author with 9 Grammy Nominations and who had a big international hit with "At Seventeen" in 1975 made an interesting speech on libraries to School Librarians in Nashville Public Schools August 9th 2011.

“We artists have a great affinity with you librarians, for many reasons, not the least of which is that we exist in large part to educate, and to protect. To make order out of chaos, and to teach others to do the same. To keep the dreams of a nation, of a people, safe for future generations. To make those dreams available to everyone – not just the wealthy or beautiful, not just the people of one race or one colour or one religion – but available to everyone who dares to dream of something bigger than themselves.

At school, when I looked around at my schoolmates, I didn’t see anyone remotely like me. I longed for friends, people I could talk to about things that were important to me, but I met none. A librarian, Mrs. Anna Baker, was my first true friend – someone who listened carefully, responded truthfully, and gave me every scrap of knowledge she could muster through the books she controlled.

I lived at the library. I lived there because no one judged me. I lived there because there, and only there, did I feel free to explore myself.

The library taught me that somewhere out there were others like me. The library promised that one day, when I was old enough, I would meet them at last. An artist is a citizen of the world, bound by no convention, tied by no borders. We are homeless from the start; we do not have the refuge of conformity, of predictability. Artists need a place of refuge, just as children need a place of refuge… and the world needs its artists, just as it needs its children.

Books leave their language on our souls. They remind us of ourselves at our best, and teach us what we can be. They carry our longing for the stars, and point us toward them when we are too earthbound to do it ourselves.

I hope that every librarian is as kind as Mrs. Baker, who corresponded with me regularly until her death, and whose last letter to me recommended several books she’d recently read.”

The full text of what Janis Ian had to say is at:

http://www.mnps.org/Page84016.aspx.

www.janisian.com,

Tuam Arts Festival Exhibitions in the Library

Stephen Quinn is an artist working in metal for over a decade in the West of Ireland. He views iron as a functional bridge between natural and functional forms, drawing from influences in European Nouveau style and the contemporary landscape around him.

"In Arthur Danto's book Nietzsche as Philosopher he discusses the idea of idem potency, the idea that every cell in the body, not just the brain, retains memories, both individual and collective."

The artist creates cell like structures and incorporates found objects in these organic felted vessels. Texture, colour and detail play an important part in these pieces.

Jim Kavanagh is a London born, Galway based artist. He has had numerous successful shows both in the U.K. and Ireland.

Jim's paintings are formed using techniques (scumbling and glazing)of the old masters Rembrandt and Turner. He creates his own responses to landscapes and skyscapes, creating timeless images invoking a sense of place both real and imaginary.