Tuesday 27 September 2016

Clare County Library rewards Summer Reading Stars

The presentation of certificates to the children who completed Summer Stars, the Summer Reading Programme promoted by Clare County Library will take place for children in the North, West and East of the county in the coming days. On the 28th of September storyteller Liz Weir will entertain a large gathering in the Bellbridge House Hotel where children from Ennistymon, Lisdoonvarna, Miltown Malbay, Kilrush, Kilkee, Kildysart and Kilmihil libraries will attend a special library event to reward them for taking up the challenge to read at least six books during school summer holidays.

Liz Weir is a professional storyteller who works with all age groups promoting the traditional art for which Ireland is world famous. A children’s librarian by training, she now travels the world telling stories to adults and children, organising workshops on storytelling, and speaking at courses for parents, teachers and librarians. Her wealth of stories is drawn from both the oral and written traditions. Her publications for children include Boom Chicka Boom, a book full of magic and drama that comes with a nine track CD of stories, old and new, with participation rhymes and playful verses. Here, There and Everywhere is a collection of stories which is also available on CD, from many lands, for children aged six and upwards and she has also written a delightful and moving picture book called When Dad Was Away about a child whose father is in jail. Tales of the Road is another of her children’s books about Irish Traveller life. Liz Weir has told her stories to people of all ages on five continents. She has performed in pubs and prisons and hospital rooms. She worked on stages in the mighty Vanderbilt Hall of New York’s Grand Central Station and in the Royal Albert Hall. Clare County Library staff are delighted to welcome her to Clare this September to share her stories with readers young and old.

The Summer Stars Awards ceremonies for libraries in North and West Clare will take place on September the 28th beginning at 6.30pm at the Bellbridge House Hotel, Spanish Point and on the following evening, September the 29th at Sean Lemass Public Library Shannon at 6.30pm also.

Meanwhile Scariff Public Library staff welcomed all who had completed the Summer Stars Reading Challenge in the East of the county to their presentation of certificates on Saturday 24th September. Children and parents alike joined in a fun-for-all library day with facepainting and a host of arts and craft activities throughout the afternoon. The staff at Scariff Public Library wish to acknowledge that this year’s Summer reading programme has been extremely well received with approximately 130 children taking part.

Tuesday 20 September 2016

New book by author with Ennis roots

Curiosity about her Ennis-born grandmother and an innocent question she asked about a family name instigated the research that led to Mary Burns’s new book, The Reason for Time, an historical novel set in Chicago during one wild ten-day period in July, 1919.

Her Grandmother never talked much about the past, in Ireland or in Chicago, but Burns learned that she had lived in the city during those hot July days that began with a dirigible crashing into a downtown Chicago bank, and ended with the most deadly of the race riots that occurred in twenty-five U.S. cities that year. As she scrolled through the microfilm containing old newspapers, Burns thought, this has to be a novel.

Her first person character, Maeve Curragh, who comes from Ennis just as Burns’s grandmother did and may have some other things in common with her, works at the Chicago Magic Company in the grand Marquette Building and happens to have been on an errand to the bank just before the dirigible fell. Another Clare notable, Eamon de Valera, was also visiting Chicago that week, but no doubt navigating higher levels of society than Maeve, who becomes smitten with a streetcar conductor, Desmond Malloy.

“It’s all in the power to make people believe,” Maeve’s boss, the magician Mr. R frequently tells his small staff. Coming from a culture rich with superstitions, and having been born at the hour that she was sets up Maeve for wonder and possibility.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

Man Booker Prize announces 2016 shortlist

Two British, two US and two Canadian authors have seen their books shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
The shortlist is as follows:

Paul Beatty (US) - The Sellout
Deborah Levy (UK) - Hot Milk
Graeme Macrae Burnet (UK) - His Bloody Project
Ottessa Moshfegh (US) – Eileen
David Szalay (Canada-UK) - All That Man Is
Madeleine Thien (Canada) - Do Not Say We Have Nothing

The 2016 winner will be announced on Tuesday 25 October in London’s Guildhall. Judges for the prize this year are Amanda Foreman (chair), Jon Day, Abdulrazak Gurnah, David Harsent and Olivia Williams. Last year, the Man Booker Prize was won by Marlon James for A Brief History of Seven Killings.

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Celebrate 100 years of Roald Dahl

2016 marks 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl - the world’s number one storyteller. To celebrate Lisdoonvarna Public Library and Ennistymon Public Library are holding craft workshops and film screenings.

On Wednesday 14th September there will be a Make your own Fantastic Mr. Fox Mask workshop in Ennistymon Public Library from 3.15pm to 4.00pm. Later that evening there will be two film screenings:
Fantastic Mr. Fox at 4.00pm
Matilda film at 6.30pm

On Thursday 15th September, there will be a Make your own Fantastic Mr. Fox Mask workshop in Lisdoonvarna Public Library.

All welcome, contact the branch for more details.
Ennistymon: (065) 7071245
Lisdoonvarna: (065) 7074029