Cork Prison inmates gifted books to mark Culture Night

Inmates in Cork Prison will be able to participate in this year’s Culture Night as the detention centre is among 13 institutions around the country to be gifted books by some of Ireland’s most well-known writers.

The Arts Council will be gifting a curated list of 30 books to each of the prisons involved on Culture Night, which takes place this year on September 20.

The package includes a diverse selection of novels, short stories, and poetry, described as “reflecting the vibrant literary landscape of Ireland”.

Comic book artist Will Sliney, who illustrates for Marvel, has been chosen to deliver the books to Cork Prison while Pat Sheedy is bringing a package to Portlaoise.

Colm Keegan will be bringing books to Shelton Abbey Prison and Annemarie Ní Chuireann will be going to Dóchas Centre (the female prison in Mountjoy) with the titles contained on the Arts Council list.

Empower

According to Maureen Kennelly, the Arts Council director, the aim is to empower prisoners with the knowledge and inspiration that can open new paths in their lives.

“This programme underscores our commitment to making the arts accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances,” said Ms Kennelly.

Caron McCaffrey, the Irish Prison Service’s director general, described the initiative with the Arts Council as a “brilliant partnership” which would give prisoners access to “a catalogue of new books from which to choose” so they could participate in Culture Night.

“Reading has always been a popular pastime in prisons,” he said.

“For those with poor literacy skills it can also be a challenge, but our education units do incredible work to enable those in our care to begin to enjoy reading.”

The Arts Council has a longstanding relationship with the Irish Prison Service through initiatives such as the Artists in Prison Scheme and the Writers in Prison Scheme.

These programmes, delivered through the prison service education programme, have provided many service users with the opportunity to meaningfully engage with the arts and artists.