Written by Honor Ridgeway Harry Clarke, the world-renowned stained glass artist, has a wonderful connection with Offaly. Many people are aware of his outstanding stained glass windows in Bewley’s Café, Dublin, but people in the Faithful County can be proud of the fine examples of his work. His depiction of St. Manchan in Boher Church,… Continue reading Local Heritage: Harry Clarke & St. Manchan
Written by Julie McGuirk - Birr/Banagher Library A virtual celebration of Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival will take place this August 2020, marking the 52nd year of one of Ireland's longest-running festivals. The people of Birr are proud of our festival, a time of year that marks our coming together from near and far,… Continue reading Looking back at Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival: Local newspaper articles that bring the past to life
By Honor Ridgeway A visit to Offaly will always surprise you. There are so many unique hidden gems to discover off the beaten track. Staff in Birr Castle, Clonmacnoise and the Tullamore Dew Centre welcome thousands of international visitors every year. Today many of these sites are closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, but here are… Continue reading Hidden Gems in Co. Offaly
By, Melanie Whitney I don’t know about you, but all this time cocooning at home has given me a lot of time to reflect. In between the time I have to inundate myself in the constant news cycle, working from home, and vacuuming my house for the 4th time this week, I have started to… Continue reading Europe Day 2020 From the Outside In
National Tree Week will be celebrated next week - March 31st – 7th April 2019, so at Offaly Libraries we decided to take a look at some of the strange, interesting, and fabulous trees in the county! Read on further to discover some excellent books about trees - all available at your local library! Don't… Continue reading Trees of Offaly
Edenderry library staff blogger Honor gives her advice on starting and running a successful bookclub. Reading is such a pleasure. It’s one of my favourite pastimes. When I was asked to establish a Book Club in Edenderry Library, I really didn’t know where to start. I decided to write this blog to assist others if… Continue reading Helpful Hints for starting a Book Club
This weekend thousands of Offaly people will get up in the middle of the night and go to Banagher, Tullamore and Edenderry to participate in the Darkness Into Light fundraiser for Pieta House. The event is on Saturday, May 12th, at 4.15am - that's very, very early on Saturday morning. Everyone is welcome to participate.… Continue reading Darkness Into Light
Edenderry staff blogger Honor writes about her experience in setting up Mountmellick embroidery classes in Edenderry library Mountmellick Embroidery in Edenderry Library ‘That’s the point of working with one’s hands, you see. It gives the mind something else to do besides worry.’ Charles Todd Why are Mountmellick embroidery classes happening in Edenderry library? As you… Continue reading Mountmellick Embroidery in Edenderry Library
This January and February musical societies around Offaly, including Birr Stage Guild, Tullamore Musical Society and Clara Musical Society, are gearing up to perform some fantastic musicals. Take a look below at some of the upcoming shows around Offaly. The Libraries Ireland catalogue holds copies of the DVDs and CDs for all of these musicals,… Continue reading The Musical Midlands!
Towns all around Offaly are preparing for fun outdoor activities this Christmas, from the January 1st 'Ballyboy to Ballyboy' fundraiser for Offaly Hospice to the Lough Boora Discovery Park 5K Santa Dash. Here's our round-up of some of the runs and walks happening around Offaly in the coming weeks. You can also read on… Continue reading Get ready to get active in Offaly this Christmas!
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