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07 Sept 2025
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07 Sept 2025
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Wally O’Neill, owner of Red Books
The annual Graignamanagh Town of Books Festival returns this weekend, and one bookseller has come up with a ‘novel’ idea to promote reading.
Wally O’Neill, owner of Red Books in Wexford and Gorey, and one of 25 booksellers in the town of books, is giving away a wheelbarrow of new books to one lucky customer over the weekend of August 18 - 20.
“The Town of Books Festival is renowned across Ireland as the premier annual event for book lovers of all ages,” Mr O’Neill said.
“It’s probably the biggest gathering of bibliophiles in the state and, in an effort to capture the imagination of these readers and maybe reach out to those who find it hard to connect to our world, we are giving away a wheelbarrow full of brand-new books to one of our customers over the weekend.
“The barrow will contain books of all genres to appeal to all tastes and is valued at around €500.
“Over the past 20 years, we have seen a thousand bookshops disappear across Ireland and the UK as a direct result of the emergence of certain online monopolies and a shift in book buying habits.
“We still believe that bookselling requires a human touch and a bookshop can be much more than just a place to buy books – it can be a community hub.
“The Town of Books is crucial as it is a literal meeting of the tribes of the remaining booksellers.
“Hopefully there are potential future booksellers out there who will come along and see what a fantastic and fulfilling lifestyle selling books for a living can be.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Graignamanagh Town of Books Festival and will feature booksellers from across Ireland and the UK, literary events, readings, and hundreds of thousands of books.
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