An NCBI Audio Book Club from Dublin has been named overall winner of Ireland’s first ‘Book Club of the Year Award’. Organised by the Ennis Book Club Festival, in association with Clare County Library.
The competition attracted dozens of entries from book clubs throughout the country. The Dun Laoghaire-based Audio Book Club were guests at the 2010 Ennis Book Club Festival from 5th to 7th March in Ennis, Co Clare.
The three-day festival attracted hundreds of Book Club members and book lovers from all over Europe and North America. The festival programme featured author visits, readings, lectures and workshops, exhibitions, a professional development workshop for library staff, walking history tours, musical entertainment and chocolate tasting in various venues around Ennis. Among the contributors to the fourth annual festival were Lionel Shriver, David McWilliams, Joseph O’Connor, Tim Pat Coogan, Diarmaid Ferriter, Paul Howard, Fiona Looney, Thomas Lynch; Claire Kilroy; Joe Duffy, Paul Durcan and Ruth Dudley Edwards.
Commenting on the Book Club of the Year Award, Frances O’Gorman of the Festival Organising Committee stated: “Entrants to the competition were asked to say why their book club is special. NCBI’s Audio Book Club stood out as a deserving winner for a number of reasons. Lots of people cooperated to get it started, including Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown library service, who facilitate the meetings and supply the club with multiple book copies. NCBI also provides a cosy meeting space and transport for the participants, who come from diverse backgrounds and had never met before. You would be hard pressed to meet a more enthusiastic, vibrant bunch anywhere. Their commitment ultimately makes it happen.”
Frances continued: “The group is made up of seven participants and includes one honorary member – the infinitely patient Hughie, who lies at Peggy’s feet throughout. Where else would you find a canine book club member? The reality is that Peggy could not attend without him, so his role in the book club meeting is vital. The audio books used include prize-winners, bestsellers, classics and wide-ranging genres, all democratically chosen. The members, some avid, some new readers, have embraced this opportunity that some thought was lost forever to them, not just to enjoy books but to discuss in a meaningful way themes and characters, and to have their opinions valued amongst new friends.”
Maura Magee was one of the NCBI audio book club members who attended the festival. “I have been involved in the book club from the start and our group meets on the last Friday of every month in NCBI’s office in Dun Laoghaire. We discuss the book we have just listened to and plan ahead for the next month. I have just finished The Road, by Cormac McCarthy and am now reading The White Tiger. I have a condition called age-related macular degeneration so I can see some things but I cannot see enough to read, which I find a big disadvantage. The audio book club is very enjoyable though,” said Maura.
Aleksandra Okupinska, an NCBI community resource worker based in Dun Laoghaire, is currently involved in organising two audio book clubs in the area. “We have two different groups running at the moment. One has six participants and one has seven. We also have a volunteer who helps us to facilitate one of the groups, while the other is facilitated by a staff member. If any one is interested in setting up an audio book club I would advise them to get in touch with their local library, especially the Culture and Marketing or Development and Special Projects departments in the county library, as they have been very helpful to us here and may be able to assist others by providing books, space or perhaps a facilitator,” said Aleksandra.
The NCBI Audio Book Club’s winning entry can be viewed at www.ennisbookclubfestival.com