The Annual Graiguenamanagh Town of Books Festival returns this weekend and one bookseller has come up with a ‘novel’ idea to promote reading. Wally O’ Neill, owner of Red Books in Wexford and Gorey, and one of twenty-five booksellers in the town of books, is giving away a wheelbarrow of new books to one lucky customer over the weekend of August 18th - 20th.
“The Town of Books Festival is renown across Ireland as the premier annual event for book lovers of all ages,” Mr O’ Neill said. “It’s probably the biggest gathering of bibliophiles in the state and, in an effort to capture the imagination of these readers and maybe reach out to those who find it hard to connect to our world, we are giving away a wheelbarrow full of brand-new books to one of our customers over the weekend. The barrow will contain books of all genres to appeal to all tastes and is valued at around five hundred euro.”
“Over the past twenty years, we have seen a thousand bookshops disappear across Ireland and the UK as a direct result of the emergence of certain online monopolies and a shift in book buying habits. We still believe that bookselling requires a human touch and a bookshop can be much more than just a place to buy books – it can be a community hub.”
“The Town of Books is crucial as it is a literal meeting of the tribes of the remaining booksellers. Hopefully there are potential future booksellers out there who will come along and see what a fantastic and fulfilling lifestyle selling books for a living can be.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Graiguenamanagh Town of Books Festival and will feature booksellers from across Ireland and the UK, literary events, readings, and hundreds of thousands of books. Red Books, recently voted national bookstore of the year in a Sunday Independent poll, will be selling books for all tastes, from expensive collectibles to Sci-fi classics to children’s easy readers.