New library opened at Cork city school inspired by Italian model

Scóil Íosagáin boys’ national school in Farranree has opened its new library, replacing the original, which was opened in the late 1990s.

The ribbon was cut by Eleanor Murray, a local resident, who recalled the effort to open the original community library, the first of its kind in the country.

Áine Fitzpatrick, who headed up the library project in Scoil Íosagáin, said: “At the beginning of this journey, I heard about a wonderful initiative in Italy, called Io leggo perché, which translates to, ‘I read because.’

“It’s a national campaign, where people buy a book for their local library. It’s such a beautiful idea, and, thanks to Laura Lane, a teacher here in our school, and her husband, Dave, that idea became a reality for us.

“Together, they created our ‘Sponsor a Book’ online store, and, through the generosity of our community, over 100 carefully chosen books now sit proudly on these shelves. To everyone who embraced that campaign, I am truly grateful."

“The first incarnation of this library opened its doors many years ago as a community library, and thanks to the continued support of the Scoil Íosagáin community — past and present — we are here today to celebrate the reopening of this wonderful space.”

Workshop

Award-winning Cork author and illustrator Celina Buckley delivered a short story-writing workshop with a group of fifth-class pupils, followed by an interactive reading of her book The Salmon of Knowledge: An Irish Folktale Retold with a group of second-class pupils.

In its opening week, the library also hosted its first-ever art exhibition, entitled I Am, marking the culmination of an eight-week artist-in-residency programme with local Cork artist Lisa Lillywhite, of the Smart Happy Project.

Peter Tattan, a member of the Library Committee, said: “As educators, introducing children to literacy and a love of learning is at the heart of what we do. A space like this is invaluable.

“It gives our pupils the opportunity to not only discover the joy of reading and writing, but to explore new ideas, to see themselves reflected in the stories they read and creative processes they engage in.”

Ms Fitzpatrick thanked the school’s partners in reading: Clare Doyle, executive librarian of Cork City Library; Alan Andrei, librarian in Blackpool Children’s Library, and Dr Becky Long from Children’s Books Ireland.

Thanks was also extended to Easons and The Bookstation Blackpool for their help in partnering with the online ‘Sponsor a Book’ store, as well as sponsors Dulux, Medtronic, and Dan McCarthy.

Special mention was given to special needs assistant Tara McCarthy, who helped with the library opening and exhibition preparation.