The Arts Council has partnered with the Irish Prison Service to gift books to prisoners as part of this year’s Culture Night.
Some 13 prisons will be gifted books on September 20th to ensure “the Culture Night experience continues to include those who cannot otherwise participate”.
There are 30 book titles on offer by Irish authors including Claire Keegan and Sebastian Barry.
The service will also offer Sinead O’Connor’s memoir Rememberings and Graham Norton’s latest novel Frankie.
The Arts Council will also host reading and discussion events in seven different prisons with participating authors.
Author Colm Keegan will speak at Shelton Abbey Prison while Annemarie Ní Chuireann will meet prisoners at Mountjoy Women’s Prison.
Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly said she is “thrilled” to collaborate with the Irish Prison Service.
“We know that access to literature can be a powerful tool for personal growth,” she said.
“By fostering a love for reading, we aim to empower prisoners with the knowledge and inspiration that can open new paths in their lives.
“This programme underscores our commitment to making the arts accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances.”
Culture Night
Irish Prison Service Director Caron McCaffrey said reading has “always been a popular pastime in prisons”.
“For those with poor literacy skills, it can also be a challenge, but our education units do incredible work to enable those in our care to begin to enjoy reading.”
Ms McCaffrey said the partnership with the Arts Council will give prisoners “brilliant” access to a “catalogue of new books from which to choose from so they too can take part in Culture Night”.
The Arts Council has previously launched an Artists in Prison Scheme and Writers in Prison Scheme to allow prisoners to “meaningfully engage with the arts and artists”.
The initiative in collaboration with Culture Night is part of Read Mór, which aims to promote Irish and Irish-based writers.
Read Mór previously partnered with Irish Rail and Dublin Bus, offering free books at bus and train stations courtesy of a ‘book conductor’.
