The announcement by Dublin City Council of its intention to create a cultural hub in Parnell Square is most welcome.
Their plan to relocate the Dublin City Library from the Ilac Centre, to this new location, is something that I am particularly happy about.
For many years I have been campaigning for increased investment in Dublin City Libraries and I believe this will be a great boast to communities across Dublin. In particular, I am delighted that a Northside site has been chosen and I believe it will fit nicely with the existing Hugh Lane gallery and Dublin Writers Museum on Parnell Square.
As Deputy Lord Mayor in 2006, I launched the Right to Read Campaign in an effort to challenge the poor literacy rates in disadvantaged areas on Dublin’s north side. As a result, over €1 million was invested in library services meaning that every Dublin city library is now open six days a week. During this time, money was also ring fenced to establish Homework Clubs within each of our libraries to offer after school supports to children in the inner city and beyond.
Dublin is a UNESCO City of Literature, home to some the greatest writers of the last 100 years including Yeats, Joyce, Wilde, Plunkett, O’Casey and Beckett. This new library will be a resource for all Dubliners while simultaneously being a fitting tribute to those who have made Dublin so world renowned for literature. I hope when it is completed that it will inspire our writers of the future.
Illiteracy is a hidden scourge in our society with almost one fifth of adults suffering from some level of reading or writing difficulties. Libraries provide the key to people in this situation to improve their skills and help liberate them on the path to full literacy.
Updating and modernising the city library will provide a fresh resource, with modern equipment, to communities across north Dublin adding an additional tool in the fight against illiteracy. I look forward to continue working with Dublin City Council on this issue.