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Win a break away and tickets to the West Cork Literary Festival

Win a break away and tickets to the West Cork Literary Festival

Irish Examiner4 days ago

As a proud media partner, we have teamed up with the West Cork Literary Festival and the Maritime Hotel to give one lucky reader the opportunity to win a weekend in Bantry for the West Cork Literary Festival and stay in the luxury of the Maritime Hotel with breathtaking views over Bantry Bay.
West Cork Literary Festival runs from July 11 - 18. This year's line-up includes Graham Norton, Richard E Grant, Eimear McBride, Salena Godden, Neil Jordan, Carol Drinkwater and many more. Find out more here
Prize details
One night's luxury accommodation in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Saturday, July 12
A pair of tickets to the 2.15pm reading on Whiddy Island, 6.30pm event in Marino Church and an evening with Richard E. Grant in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Saturday, July 12
Terms and conditions apply. No cash alternative. Editor's decision is final. Closing date noon, Friday, July 4, 2025.

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Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy
Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy

Irish Examiner

time2 days ago

  • Irish Examiner

Books are my business: Librarian at Bantry Library Denis Murphy

Denis Murphy is a librarian at Bantry Library, which will host numerous free events as part of this year's West Cork Literary Festival, running from July 11-18. The library first opened to the public in 1974 and a book on its historical and architectural significance, Bantry Library: Bantry's Brutalist Bibliotheque, by Dermot Harrington marked the building's 50th anniversary. How did you get into librarianship? Having graduated with a BA in the late 1980s, the natural course for many students was to progress to the Higher Diploma in Education, but teaching wasn't for me and after a period of uncertainty, librarianship appeared to be a more natural fit. I later completed a post-graduate diploma in library and information studies in UCD. I have worked over the years in most sections of the Cork County Library and Arts Service, based in our HQ at the County Hall campus. I spent the restrictive covid period in our Clonakilty branch before a transfer to my home town, Bantry, in January 2022. What does your role involve? My role includes a mix of planning, preparing and hosting of events, library administration and reports, community outreach, countywide library projects, and interacting with patrons at the issue desk. Approaching high summer, the West Cork Literary Festival concentrates most of my attention. It brings a terrific buzz to the town and the library, as one of eight venues, will host 13 free events, including the festival opening reception. A mark of its continued success is the volume of repeat visitors to the library and it's also nice to see more locals attending. What do you like most about it? Seeing the excitement and sense of wonder children bring to the library. We have moved beyond church-pew quietness so whether through a family or class visit, building Lego, playing chess, solving puzzles, or making crafts with the library's wonderfully creative staff, children just make the place their own. It's also an enjoyable challenge to present library stock in an appealing way to patrons. Removing a languishing novel from its alphabetical sequence and placing it on a themed pop-up display can be a ticket to a new home for three weeks. When that works, it's very satisfying. The retail side of librarianship also remains important and enjoyable. If I turn around at the issue desk and look out the library's fabulous bow window, I can almost see the front of my father's old premises, 'The Mans Shop', where I would have first learned customer skills. He was the best in the business at that. Whenever I slip up, I wonder how would he have handled it. What do you like least about it? Bantry Library is a wonderful heritage building with a book, film, and recent architectural award to its credit. My role also involves a degree of facilities management. On occasion, chasing jobs to completion requires much patience. Three desert island books That Place We Call Home by John Creedon, which I really enjoyed and which would give me a sense of home if I was on a desert island. He looks at the stories behind Irish place names and it is all done in a relatable conversational tone, in that typical Creedon way. I'm looking forward to seeing him at the festival. I am a big fan of Michael Connelly's books, they are unputdownable and you would fly through them. My second pick would be his book The Late Show, in which he introduced the feisty and fearless character Renee Ballard. The third one would be The Game by the Cork writer Tadhg Coakley, who I met when he spoke about the book at the festival in 2022. It is a fabulous book, a lovely blend of writing about his life, his involvement with the GAA and his love of sport. Read More Books are my business: Head of published collections at the National Library of Ireland

Win a break away and tickets to the West Cork Literary Festival
Win a break away and tickets to the West Cork Literary Festival

Irish Examiner

time4 days ago

  • Irish Examiner

Win a break away and tickets to the West Cork Literary Festival

As a proud media partner, we have teamed up with the West Cork Literary Festival and the Maritime Hotel to give one lucky reader the opportunity to win a weekend in Bantry for the West Cork Literary Festival and stay in the luxury of the Maritime Hotel with breathtaking views over Bantry Bay. West Cork Literary Festival runs from July 11 - 18. This year's line-up includes Graham Norton, Richard E Grant, Eimear McBride, Salena Godden, Neil Jordan, Carol Drinkwater and many more. Find out more here Prize details One night's luxury accommodation in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Saturday, July 12 A pair of tickets to the 2.15pm reading on Whiddy Island, 6.30pm event in Marino Church and an evening with Richard E. Grant in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Saturday, July 12 Terms and conditions apply. No cash alternative. Editor's decision is final. Closing date noon, Friday, July 4, 2025.

Soccer AM's iconic celeb penalty shootout inspires new comedy series produced by huge TV comedian
Soccer AM's iconic celeb penalty shootout inspires new comedy series produced by huge TV comedian

The Irish Sun

time15-06-2025

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Soccer AM's iconic celeb penalty shootout inspires new comedy series produced by huge TV comedian

SINCE Sky's Soccer AM left our screens two years ago, its celebrity penalty shootout has been much missed. But I can reveal the fan-favourite format has now inspired a copycat segment from Graham Norton's So Television. Advertisement 2 A copycat segment from Graham Norton's So Television is set for our screens Credit: The Mega Agency 2 Soccer AM's celebrity penalty shootout has been much missed Credit: YouTube Just like Sky's original version, the new series will see a line-up of big names stepping up to the penalty spot to try to score. But with comedian Chloe Petts in charge of proceedings, it will feature fellow comics only. So far stars including Nish Kumar and Harriet Kemsley are on the team sheet. A source said: 'Penalties frequently provide some of the funniest moments in football, so adding comedians to that mix will bring about endless laughs. Advertisement READ MORE ON SOCCER AM 'Soccer AM had big names like Stormzy, Ed Westwick and Louis Tomlinson desperate to be involved so everyone is very excited that this new spin-off could run and run. "Chloe Petts is a genuine football fan and brings a wealth of knowledge, as well as humour. Filming begins this week in London and everyone can't wait to see how it turns out.' In an increasingly common move, the series is first heading to YouTube. The source added: 'This kind of content lends itself brilliantly to a short-form media and so will live online for now.' Advertisement Most read in News TV Soccer AM ran for 29 years on Sky until it was shelved in May 2023 due to falling ratings. As well as the penalty spot, other segments included the Nutmeg Files, Unbelievable Tekkers and the Crossbar Challenge. Plenty of comedic inspiration there too, I'd say. 'I cringe about that' says Soccer AM legend as he admits regret over much-loved segment that 'pushed the boundaries'

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