Top author to speak at Athlone and Moate library events

Author and illustrator Terence Casey will host fun-filled storytimes at Moate and Athlone libraries.

He will be at Moate Library at 10.00am and Athlone Library from 12 noon on Ireland Reads Day, Saturday, February 22.

Terence and his family keep a range of birds and animals. He teaches art to secondary school students and has written three books about his many feathered and furry friends.

His most recent book is Animal Adventures From Beneath the Hill.

reland Reads Day, led by Libraries Ireland, encourages people of all ages to pick up a book during the month of February and to embrace the joy and power of reading.

Award-winning author and Ireland Reads ambassador, Marian Keyes, feels strongly about the transformative power of reading, which she discovered as a child.

“I was an anxious, lonely child, but when I read my first Enid Blyton book, The Twins at St Clare’s, my mind was blown,” she said.

“Suddenly, I had a gateway to another world – to infinite worlds.

“I was able to escape the discomfort of being me by immersing myself in the lives of others. Since then, reading has been my saviour. The ability to read is my superpower.”

Ireland Reads is a great way to rediscover County Westmeath libraries and all the services they have to offer, according to Stuart Hamilton, Head of Libraries Development at the Local Government Management Agency. (LGMA)

“Some may be pleasantly surprised to learn that library fees were abolished in January 2019 and all previous fines were removed,” he said.

“This means that you can return to your library with a clean slate – even if you forgot to return that last book."

For reading recommendations and to see a list of events taking place in libraries in County Westmeath and across the country, visit www.irelandreads.ie.

Led by Libraries Ireland, the campaign is an initiative of the Government of Ireland and is part of the Healthy Ireland programme.