New Art & Heritage Collection For Library

Authors Kevin Power and Colm Tóibín with Galway County Librarian Jo Vahey.

A brand-new art and heritage collaboration is set to launch in the Ballinasloe Library titled ‘On Our Doorstep’ highlighting the wealth of the town’s unique historical features through art.
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The project came about through Library Assistants Zara Little-Campbell and Abbie McGowan, a collaboration with Zara as Chairperson of Group 8 and Abbie as Secretary of Cath Eachroma 1691 and the newly formed Ballinasloe and District Heritage Society.
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The organisers hope that each year will see artists submitting their work on a different theme, which will then be showcased in the Church Gallery. This year’s exhibition theme is the 1691 Battle of Aughrim, possibly the most significant point in Ireland’s turbulent history. Submissions have already been made, and all are welcome to the launch on Saturday August 12 at 14:30 free of charge with no booking required.
Following the exhibition, the library will feature Dr Geraldine Curtin to discuss the Ballinasloe Girl’s Reformatory School at 15:30 that Saturday. The talk is a joint venture by the Ballinasloe and District Heritage Society in association with Galway Archaeological and Historical Society.

A graduate of the University of Galway, Dr. Curtin holds a Ph.D in Modern Irish History with a particular focus on juvenile crime in Connacht during the nineteenth century. Dr. Curtin currently works in the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room at the University of Galway.
Dr. Geraldine  will outline the background to the Ballinasloe reformatory’s establishment, discuss the circumstances of the children detained there, the staff who ran it, along with spotlighting the day-to-day lives of its residents.

Recently the Ballinasloe Library hosted Irish novelist Colm Tóibín, along with writer Kevin Power who showcased his book White City. A large crowd attended the event, who had the opportunity to raise any questions to the two authors.
 
Additionally, the Library showcased a new exhibition ‘Renewal: Grennan Mill 1981’, highlighting the work of the very first students of a crafts course in Grennan Mill Craft School, Kilkenny. Forty years later, their original craftwork filled the Church Gallery, viewed by many upon their launch day earlier in the Summer.
Later in the year, The Tallest Smallest Theatre will deliver two live performances at the Ballinasloe Library on Culture Night on September 23. The first will feature a stilt-walking, storytelling session of Roald Dahl's The BFG, offering an experiential and entertaining approach to one of the most loved books for children. The other performance will see a series of circus acts challenging and delighting both young and old. The events are free and no booking is required.

Visit Ballinasloe Library on Facebook to find out more! 

Group 8 Ballinasloe