New campaign to get Ireland reading during Covid

– Pledge to read and find your perfect book at Irelandreads.ie

Ireland Reads is a new campaign to get the whole country reading this month in the lead up to a national day of reading on Thursday, February 25^th.

Irish libraries have teamed up with publishers, booksellers, authors and others for the campaign, which is part of the government’s Keep Well initiative and aims to celebrate reading and all the benefits it can have for wellbeing and enjoyment.

The campaign is asking everyone to ‘squeeze in a read’ on Ireland Reads Day, Thursday, February 25^th. A new website www.irelandreads.ie has been set up where people can pledge to read on the day and see how much time has been pledged by the Irish public so far.

The website also offers book recommendations suited to a person’s interests and the time they have available. There are more than 800 recommendations from librarians all around the country. A website user can simply enter their favourite type of book and how long they would like to read each day and the website will offer the perfect book suggestion and work out how long it will take to complete – a couch to 5k for books!

Campaign partners and libraries all over the country will be running ‘Ireland Reads’ initiatives and events throughout February in the build up to Thursday, February 25^th.

 

A number of well-known campaign ambassadors from the worlds of writing, science, sport, health and broadcasting are on board to help promote the campaign, and you can find out what reading means to them and why they support the campaign at www.irelandreads.ie.

 

While libraries are not currently open for browsing or borrowing due to Covid restrictions, library members can use the library Borrowbox service online and choose from more than 44,000 eBooks and 33,000 eAudiobooks.

 

Heather Humphreys, TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development said:

“Keeping well and looking after our mental health is vital during these challenging times. That’s why I am delighted to support this campaign to celebrate and encourage reading, which is part of the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ initiative.

“My Department of Rural and Community Development has invested heavily in our library service in recent years.

“And, despite the Level 5 restrictions, thousands of people have continued to avail of our library services online.

“In addition, many library authorities are currently delivering library stock to the housebound and vulnerable.

“So I would encourage everybody to join me in pledging to set aside some time during this month to relax with a good book and discover the joy of reading.”

 

Frank Feighan, TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health and Well Being said:

“As part of the Healthy Ireland ‘Keep Well’ campaign, ‘Ireland Reads’ is about promoting the power of reading for enjoyment and wellbeing. It’s about encouraging everyone to regularly take some time to sit and read a book, a poem, a comic, a newspaper or to ‘start a new story’- whatever works for them. In a year when we have all been searching for new ways to keep active and creative, and to step away our daily routines and connect with others, reading offers a way to escape. There is growing evidence that reading can lift our mood, reduce the symptoms of depression and improve wellbeing throughout life.”

It doesn’t matter how long you read for or what you read, it doesn’t matter whether you’re an avid reader, a reluctant reader, a lapsed reader or a new reader, this campaign is for you, says Colette Byrne, Kilkenny County Council Chief Executive on behalf of the public library sector:

“Right now, many of the activities we used to take for granted are not available to us, but you can always enjoy a good book, newspaper or magazine. These are all available free online and any time to library members. Libraries and library staff are waiting to welcome people back whenever that is possible, but until then we always have books to remind us of other people, other places, and better days. So, this month please pledge to take some reading time for yourself or to share with family.”

Find out about all that’s happening for Ireland Reads, get book recommendations and take the pledge to read on Thursday, February 25^th at www.irelandreads.ie

 

Monaghan County Libraries Statement:

In light of the Government decision to move to Level 3 restrictions we would like to inform you that all of our branch libraries will close this evening (Tuesday 6^th October) at 5:00 PM until restrictions are eased.

We we will revert to a ‘Contact and Collect’ service model. This will enable you to phone or email your local library to request your preferred reading material. Staff will prepare your order and arrange a suitable time for Contactless collection.

A Home Delivery Option will also be available for those who are cocooning self-isolating or restricting their movements having been deemed Close Contact.

Please contact your local library for more information:

Phone Lines in Carrickmacross, Clones & Monaghan are open from 10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Phone line in Castleblayney are open Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10am – 1pm.

Phone Line in Ballybay will be open Wednesday & Thursday 10am – 1pm.

Library ‘Summer Stars’ Reading Programme Moves Online 

Bestselling author Judi Curtin calls on children to join the reading adventure at home and online

 

Children and families across Ireland are invited to take part in this year’s Summer Stars reading programme, running across Monaghan from July 1^st  until the end of August.

 

Bestselling author Judi Curtin has encouraged all children to take part and enjoy a summer full of imagination, saying: “I am delighted to support Summer Stars 2020 Reading Adventure, a fantastic initiative from Libraries Ireland.”

 

This year, libraries have come up with creative new ways for young readers to access the programme online.

 

• Summer Stars BorrowBox: Children of all ages can browse, borrow, read and listen to the Summer Stars collection of children’s eBooks and eAudio books through the public library’s BorrowBox app. This free app can be accessed by library members anytime, anywhere and provides access to thousands of titles for children and adults.

 

• Online Storytimes: Library staff and Irish authors will create Summer Stars virtual storytimes, including chapter-a-day readings from books. These will be available to families at home on local library social media pages and our website at ie

 

• Story Competition: Children and young people will have the opportunity to create their own stories and enter our Summer Stars Story Competition ‘An Unexpected Adventure’. The competition will run from the 1^st of July to the 31^st of August with three age categories (6-9, 10-14 and 15+) and brilliant prizes for the winners and runners up.

 

Children can track their reading progress on reading cards to be marked each time a book is read, online or in print form. Readers can also upload reviews of their favourite books and share with the reading community at summerstars.ie.

Where possible, libraries will provide Summer Stars physical book lending services to children as they continue a phased re-opening. Library staff will also host online author visits, Creative writing challenges, quizzes and more over the summer – stay tuned to your local library service social media pages for more information!

Tom Enright, Wexford County Council Chief Executive and Chair of the Libraries Development Committee said:

“The Summer Stars programme is all about finding fun in reading and getting young imaginations active. Things are a little different this year, given the Covid-19 restrictions, but we are delighted that libraries have been able to adapt and move the programme online so that children can enjoy the Summer Stars adventure at home. With children out of school for a number of months now, this programme will not only help to maintain and improve their literacy and reading skills, but will give busy parents another new option to keep the kids entertained over the summer.”

Michael Ring TD, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, whose Department has responsibility for public libraries, said:

 

“I am delighted that in the midst of the current restrictions the libraries are still engaging with children and not only keeping them entertained with all the online content, but also helping them keep their reading skills up. I am confident that again this year the Summer Stars Reading Programme will be a big success across the country.

 

The libraries have done a fantastic job preparing to deliver this programme online and I am sure the children will enjoy accessing the wonderful range of eBooks which has been boosted by recent investments by my Department.  Summer Stars, which is part of the Right to Read Programme, is extremely important for children’s reading development and will equip them with skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. I would encourage everybody to make sure their children and grandchildren participate in this programme.”

 

 

Full details of the programme are available at www.summerstars.ie

 

Download Summer Stars promotional graphics at https://bit.ly/30IA0QP

Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival Climate Action Photography Competition 2019

As part of the Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival this year,  members of the public were asked to take a photo in their local area of what Climate Action means at a local level. A superb response was received and again a hard task for the judges to pick winners. The photos will be displayed in the Johnston Central Library in Cavan Town during the festival.

Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival wish to thank everyone who entered and congratulate the winners.

 

3^rd place Roisin Walsh Baby Chestnut image

2^nd place Ann Mc Kenna Bee in Flower

1^st place Fionn O Donoghue Heron Flight

 

Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival Climate Action Poster Competition 2019

 

For Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival this year, the theme for the primary and secondary school poster competition was ‘Climate Action’.

 

There was an over whelming response from schools and the judges had the difficult task of judging such high quality and creative submissions.

 

The winning entries were Ceola Walsh and Ellie Rose Ward from Inver College in Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.

 

Cavan-Monaghan Science Festival wish to thank all the schools who participated in the competition.

 

 

Welcome to the Cavan Monaghan Science Festival 2019 – an award winning regional festival celebrating, exploring and promoting the wonders of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths in our everyday lives. This year the festival will take place from the 9th – 23rd November across the two counties.

The festival is a Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council initiative in partnership with Cavan Monaghan ETB, and generously funded by Science Foundation Ireland. We work in partnership with several local, regional and national agencies, organisations and companies.
Our Science Festival is organised as part of the national Science Week and this year it will focus on climate action, seeking to help people understand climate change, how science and technology can help us create a positive climate future and the impact we as individuals can have on climate change. While one person may feel unable to make a difference on their own, a collective effort to offset our carbon emissions will have a positive impact – Think Global, Act Local!

With events from astronomy to zoology, this year’s festival wants everyone to come out again to discover more wonders of science in our everyday lives. Science is very important in our lives. We all benefit from scientific knowledge from the food we eat, the air we breathe to how we sleep. Science and technology power our world, improves our health and can even entertain us. Everywhere you look, there is science!

We are delighted to welcome some of the best national and international scientists, researchers, speakers, creators and artists to our counties who will take you on a new road of discovery from the science of cider, to forensics, gluten free baking to the story of the night sky, what is a plant-based diet or want to make a solar night light!

We hope you enjoy our festival of discovery, learning and fun!

We appreciate your feedback and you do so by emailing us at sciencefestival@monaghancoco.ie 

Discover! Be inspired!
Science Festival Steering Committee

#BelieveInScience

So Why A Science Festival?
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths are of key importance in our everyday lives. Take for instance Agri-science – this is core to the lives and livelihoods of a significant majority of both counties’ populations. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that the whole range of STEAM skills are key to industrial and entrepreneurial innovation in this border area. Monaghan town for example hosts the Global Headquarters of Combilift, the acknowledged global leader in the long-load handling market which exports its products to 75 countries throughout the world. “Innovation creates jobs, jobs create prosperity, the development of new business opportunities and the sustainability of our local communities”, comments Deirdriú McQuaid, Coordinator of Cavan Monaghan Science Festival.
“To nurture and exploit such opportunities, and to preserve the integrity of the rural environment, we must promote relevant skills” adds Karen McCague. One of the objectives of the Cavan Monaghan Science Festival is to create awareness among the young, and not so young, of the reality and importance of STEAM in our lives in a relaxed, informal way. “Through a series of fun, educational and entertaining events we hope to encourage children to engage in the STEAM subjects from an early age. Participation in the Festival will inform and whet young appetites for learning, enrich their lives and open up significant career and business options for them at a later stage”, comments Deirdriú.

The Programme:
With future STEAM specialists in mind, the Festival programme includes lots of events for young inquisitive hands and minds. We are delighted to welcome some of the best national and international scientists, researchers, speakers, creators, artists to our festival who will take you on a new road of discovery from the science of singing, gluten free baking to the story of sepsis, autism, why babies cry or have you wondered about going into space or how to solve the worse-case zombie epidemic!
We have developed a dedicated school programme of around 160 workshops are on offer to schools to participate in across the two counties and this extensive broad programme has been devised to support the school’s curriculum, the Discover Primary Programme and to support career decision making for secondary school students. All schools have received copies of schools programme brochure.

Outside of the schools, we have an afterschool’s programme in the libraries with activities based on the theme of climate action.

Over the three Saturdays of the Festival, we have workshops and shows for the family or young people to engage in commencing on Saturday 9th with Science Magic Shows, printing workshops, the touring mad professor or how to save the planet in 45 minutes or perhaps you are fascinated by dinosaurs!
We will have two family fun days across the two counties – we start the festival with a family day on Saturday 9th November in the Comprehensive Secondary School in Cootehill County Cavan from 11-4pm and we finish the festival on a big bang at Monaghan Institute on Saturday 23rd 12-5pm which is a spectacular event with hands on activities, demos, shows, workshops and this year we have a few surprises up our sleeves for you all!!

This Festival is a Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council initiative in partnership with Cavan Monaghan Education and Training Board. The programme is generously funded by the Science Foundation of Ireland. We work in partnership with a number of local, regional and national agencies, organisations and companies, of which we are gratefully appreciative of their support.

How to Book:
Bookings are required for all events except the Family Fun Days.
To book a place, contact the telephone number on the event.
Queries in relation to any events in County Monaghan email sciencefestival@monaghancoco.ie and County Cavan email sciencefestival@cavancoco.ie

Don’t miss out on these unique opportunities to mingle, have fun and experience the enjoyment of learning.

Monaghan Programme 2019

Cavan Programme 2019

Schools Brochure 2019

Keep Free the 9th – 23rd November 2019…..The full list of Public events are now available on Cavan Monaghan Science Festival Website. Simply click on Monaghan Events or Cavan Events to see what’s happening in each County!

http://www.cavanmonaghansciencefestival.ie

Minister of State Seán Canney presents Right to Read Champion Awards to local authorities

On 17th October 2019 Mr. Seán Canney T.D., the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, presented Right to Read Champion Awards to local authorities in recognition of their ongoing efforts to support literacy development through the library service.

The Awards, which were hosted by the LGMA at Local Government House in Dublin, were presented to all 30 library authorities in recognition of the support and promotion of literacy skills development through initiatives such as the ‘Summer Stars Reading Programme’ and ‘Spring in to Storytime’.

Speaking at the event, the Minister said:

“I am delighted to be here today to present the Right to Read Champion Awards to local authorities who led on and delivered the Right to Read Programme, it is a great initiative that has committed us, both at a national and local level, to improving literacy standards.”

The delivery of the Right to Read programme at local level is led by the public library services in each local authority and the implementation is overseen by a Right to Read co-ordinator in each library service. These awards are being presented to and is coordinated at national level by the Right to Read Steering Group, chaired by the Department of Rural and Community Development in collaboration with Libraries Development in the LGMA.

 

Mr. Seán Canney T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, presented Catherine Elliott, County Librarian, Monaghan County Council, with the Right to Read Champion Award at a ceremony in Dublin on 17 October. The awards were presented to local authorities in recognition of their ongoing efforts to support literacy development through the library service.

The Europe Direct Information Centre in Clones Library is hosting a Soapbox Competition on Friday the 18^th of October at 6.30pm.  There are 2 categories and 18 years and under and a 19 years and over Category.

Entrants are asked to make a 3 minute speech on the topic “Climate Change is Not my Problem”  Winners on the night will take home an iPad and will be asked to represent the Region in the National Finals in Dublin in November for the chance to win €1,000 and a trip to Brussels.

Applications should arrive with Clones EDIC before the 14^th of October.

Rules and application forms are available below or you can get more information at 047 74712

Soapbox Rules For Applicants 2019 (MS Word)

Soapbox Application General 2019 (PDF)