Serving the young and old at Tory Top library in Cork city

LIBRARIAN Deirbhile Dennehy works in very pleasant surroundings at Tory Top Library in Ballyphehane.

“I always loved the atmosphere of the library,” says Deirbhile. “And I particularly like the friendly social atmosphere here at Ballyphehane.”

Why did she choose it as a career option more than two decades ago?

“I fell into it by accident!” she says.

“I did a BA in English and History in UCC and then I applied to the library. I loved it from day one.”

The library caters for everyone.

“It is a place where people, old and young, make use of our extensive library services,” says Deirbhile, who at the beginning of her career worked as a temp in Mayfield Library, moving to Douglas, Hollyhill, and then in Cork City libraries.

“Our enclosed garden area and the community room are always busy spaces here at the library,” she says.

We get to know our regulars and enjoy a little chat with them.

Fionuala Ryan, assistant librarian at Tory Top Library, says people like catching up with current news.

“People like to sit a while in the sensory garden and read the newspapers,” Fionuala adds.

“People enjoy having conversations about what’s in the news.

“Our week rounds off with Children’s Storytime with our own Alice, followed by a Children’s Colouring Competition on Saturday afternoons. A lot of busy little hands colouring. There isn’t a sound to be heard. The competition is fierce!”

Tory Top Library is state-of-the-art.

“The ‘magic table’, the Tovertafel table, is wonderful,” says Deirbhile.

“It promotes more joyful social connection for seniors living with dementia through its wide range of interactive games and arts and crafts. People make great use of it.”

Local people always made great use of their local amenity.

The old Tory Top Library in Ballyphehane operated from 1974 until 2004. It was always at the heart of the community, and it was the second branch library opened by Cork City Libraries and the first on the southside.

“The purpose-built library was opened to the public in 2005.

The new library, designed by Cork City Architects, was completed at an overall cost of €2.3 million. It provides approximately 750m2 floor area which is roughly that of the previous library.

It provides much more than that.

It is nice to take time to browse all the titles, texts, journals and fiction. There is an unmeasurable element of serendipity. You can be surprised when looking for something else.

The ambience at the library has a nice vibe as students are concentrating on their homework, tech-savvy youngsters are enjoying free computer programming classes, CoderDogo, and people are mingling about the bookshelves choosing items to borrow and read. Others are using the printer and photocopier.

“The wheelchair access is great,” says Seamus, who is a wheelchair user and a regular visitor to Tory Top Library.

"I can do all my printing and photocopying here instead of going further away into town where it’s difficult to park.”

Deirbhile looks forward to going to work from Belgooly every day.

“Every day is different,” she says.

The variety is great. My calendar is always full of a variety of things, meeting with community groups, arranging school visits, organising events of local interest and various exhibitions throughout the year.

The library reaches out to the community.

“We are very involved with our local community partners. We have regular school visits, health and safety checks and then there is the everyday administration. The events we host here are always popular and very well attended,” says Deirbhile.

“Age-Action group meet here. They find this a great meeting place. We welcome the smallies, right up to the elderly. Here, there is something for everyone.

“We recently had a Cork lady from the Travellers Network to give a talk to the children which they found very interesting.”

They have many interesting people visiting the library.

“For National Pet Day, we had a lady from the Donkey Sanctuary come to visit us.”

Friendship is an important feature of Tory Top Library.

“Our Friendship group and a Better Together Group used to meet up at the community park during Covid. Now they have a lovely space here to meet up and catch up.”

The new Tory Top Library incorporates an enclosed garden.

“People love spending time in the sensory garden,” says Deirbhile. “It is a lovely space and Ballyphehane has such a strong community spirit, the garden is a brilliant space to interact and chat with neighbours and friends.”

The community room is a happy hub where people like to meet up, engage with one another, enjoy activities like crochet, patchwork, book club, an Adults Writing Group, Story Time, Children’s Chess Club, and Cork Astronomy Club.

“We often have a waiting list from groups to use the community room,” says Deirbhile. “We could do with a second community room!”

The community room has been dedicated to Joseph Murphy, an Irish Volunteer who died on hunger strike in 1920.

The library provides information about him.

“Joe Murphy was arrested at his home and imprisoned alongside other IRA prisoners of the time including Cork’s patriot Lord Mayor Terence MacSwiney. They then commenced a hunger strike against the injustice of their imprisonment. On 25th October 1920, after fasting for 76 days, the 25 year old Joe Murphy died in Brixton prison.”

Deirbhile says the library is all-inclusive and it is free.

“The library is great value given the cost-of- living crisis,” she says.

“Even if a child loses a book; there is no charge.”

The library is a sanctuary and a safe place.

“It is a safe place and I love my role here in the library,” says Deirbhile.

I work with a great team. It is nice to chat to people and help people at all literary levels.

The library not only reaches out to the community; it reaches out to people living alone or who may not be able to visit the library.

“The van worked by library staff, calls to individual homes, day-care centres and nursing homes on a regular basis,” says Deirbhile.

“Customers can make requests for items, select items from the shelves in the van, or can have selections brought to them in their houses, and the van is wheelchair accessible. It is a great service.”

Deirbhile would like to have more time to read books.

“When I was younger, I read a lot more books,” says Deirbhile. “I liked thrillers. My son is a reader.”

She takes time out from the job she loves so well.

“I work four days at Tory Top Library. On my days off I like walking, swimming and going to the beach.”

Work-life balance is obviously a win-win for Deirbhile Dennehy!