Libraries throughout Cork County are taking part in Ireland Reads, a campaign to get the whole country reading this month in the lead up to a national day of reading on Saturday, February 24th.
Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service have teamed up with authors, artists, local groups and others for the campaign, which is part of the government’s Healthy Ireland programme and aims to celebrate reading and all the benefits it can have for wellbeing and enjoyment.
The campaign is asking everyone to ‘Get Lost in a Good Book’ during February and especially on Ireland Reads Day, Saturday, February 24th.
The Ireland Reads website, www.IrelandReads.ie offers book recommendations suited to a person’s interests and the time they have available. There are more than 1,500 recommendations from librarians all around the country for all interests and reading levels.
A website user can simply enter their favourite type of book and how long they would like to read each day and the website will offer the perfect book suggestion and work out how long it will take to complete, so you can set yourself a challenge if you’re finding it hard to get back to reading. You can also recommend a book to a friend through the website.
Urging everyone to get involved, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O'Flynn said, “Getting lost in a good book is one of the best things you can do, at any age. Reading is great for your wellbeing; a good book can relax you; it can teach you; it can take you places you’ve never been and introduce you to people you’ve never met. Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service wants to encourage everyone to read a book this month, especially those who might not be avid readers right now. If you don’t read or you haven’t read in a while, this is the perfect time to give it a try.”
To celebrate Ireland Reads in Cork County, children in Bandon will be taking to the stage and reading a section from their favourite book as part of a ‘Little Readers Open Mic’ event, author Hazel Gaynor will be visiting discussing her work in Fermoy Library, while Mitchelstown Library will host a teddy bear sleepover. These are just some of the events taking place with many more authors, story times, workshops and events taking place across the county.
To find out about all that’s happening for Ireland Reads or to get or share book recommendations visit www.IrelandReads.ie or visit Cork County Council Library and Arts Service on social media for more on what’s happening in your area.
