Penny Apples, as it is better known, written by Bill Cullen, Chairman of Renault Ireland is an autobiography chronicling his journey from the inner city tenements of Dublin as one of fourteen children to his current position as one of Ireland’s top 50 businessmen.  It has stormed the bestsellers list with sales of 350,000 copies and has committed a covenant of one million dollars to the Irish Youth Foundation of which Bill Cullen is President.

When the National Council for the Blind of Ireland approached Bill Cullen to request permission to record an audio version of Penny Apples for its library service, he went one better and offered to read it himself, and spent several days in the recording studio of NCBI doing so.

Reflecting on the addition of Penny Apples to the NCBI library catalogue, the Taoiseach Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D said  “For people in our community who have a vision impairment, books have an even greater role because they help to breakdown the barriers that vision impairment can bring.  It is the first time that borrowers in Ireland and around the world, through the co-operation of the world blind unions, can get to hear a Dubliner telling his own story in the vernacular in which it was meant. 

For me, Penny Apples is a social commentary on 20th Century Dublin and an insightful profile of our history.  But above all, I believe it is a celebration of Dublin’s determined and courageous people. It is a story of hope, a story that inspires.“

“ I felt that this was a great way in which I could bring the Penny Apples characters to life and demonstrate the unique and rich Dublin dialect and sayings of the time when I was growing up. We had great fun over many early mornings with the NCBI in making this piece of audio and I hope it will bring happiness and inspiration to all those who listen to it”, said Bill Cullen at the launch.

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland is the primary service provider for 7,000 people experiencing problems with their sight.  NCBI’s library service provides a free national talking book and Braille service to over 3,500 members experiencing problems with their sight as well as providing 40 popular Irish magazines, newspapers and journals on tape each month.

Speaking at the event, Des Kenny Chief Executive of NCBI commented on the past, present and future of the library.  “Our library is one of the foundation stones upon which our service is built.  Loss of sight is of course debilitating in many ways, but it is often the things we take for granted (like reading) that people miss the most.  Through NCBI’s library service, people with vision impairments can again enjoy their favourite books in Braille, large print or on tape.  We are deeply indebted to Bill Cullen for his time and commitment to furthering this service, and to ensuring that people with vision impairments in Ireland can share in the story of his life, his Penny Apples, as so many others have.”

Des Kenny also took the opportunity to announce the planned move of NCBI’s Library Service to larger premises in Finglas Business Park.  “Due to a lack of space, over 9,000 Braille books are held in storage for NCBI, to say nothing of space required to record magazines and many more audio books such as Penny Apples.” Des Kenny concluded.