Tuesday 20 April 2021

Clare County Library gives out seeds with the ‘Grow it Forward’ campaign

Anne Haugh, Director of Social Development, Clare County Council, and Cllr Mary Howard, Cathaoirleach, Clare County Council, present GIY pack of seeds to Anne Callinan from The Armada Hotel, Spanish Point. The Armada Hotel has bestowed a number of garden allotments to hotel staff.

Libraries Ireland is partnering with Grow it Yourself (GIY) to roll out the ‘Grow It Forward’ campaign under the Government’s Keep Well programme. GIY is a not-for-profit social enterprise, based in Waterford. It helps people to grow some of their own food at home, at work, at school and in the community.

The Grow it Forward campaign launched on Tuesday, 23rd March. Seeds have been dispersed from GIY (www.giy.ie) and from libraries nationwide over the past number of weeks.

Clare County Library has distributed packs of seeds to schools, nursing homes, community gardens and allotments via the library home delivery service. They have also been given to individual gardeners. Each pack contains five packets of seeds, a growing guide, and details on Clare library services and how to join the library.

Clare County Library are now asking recipients to document their growing journeys by sending photos and feedback to Clare County Library social media. They are also asking participants to Grow It Forward by sharing their produce as little seedlings, plants in pots or the produce at harvest time with other people, so that many people can benefit from the impact of growing their own food.

For further information or to avail of the final number of packs contact kilkee@clarelibrary.ie

Monday 1 February 2021

2020 Costa Awards category winners announced

Launched in 1971, the Costa Book Awards celebrate the best books of the year by writers resident in the UK and Ireland. The awards are in five categories – First Novel, Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children’s Book – with one of the five winning books selected as the overall Costa Book of the year.

Love After Love by Ingrid Persaud, a heart-breaking but life-affirming story of family secrets, won the Costa First Novel Award. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey, a love story set on an imaginary Caribbean island, won the Costa Novel Award. The Louder I sing by Lee Lawrence about his 30-year battle for justice for his mother killed in a police raid won the Costa Biography Award.

The Historians by Eavan Boland - her final collection – won the Costa Poetry Award. The Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant, about two children and their teacher on an epic sea voyage, won the Costa Children’s Book Award. One of these five titles will be chosen as the 2020 Costa Book of the Year. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 26th January 2021.