Children to be gifted books as part of Arts Council Initiative

Children living in accommodation for homeless families, Direct Provision centres and Deis schools across Ireland are set to receive gift packages of new books by leading Irish authors.

An Arts Council initiative is aiming to send as many books as possible to children in order to ensure as many people as possible can enjoy Culture Night this Friday, September 18th.

Arts Council Director Maureen Kennelly said, "We believe passionately that the arts are for every single person in Ireland, and that is at the heart of the Equality, Human Rights and Diversity policy we launched last year.

"That’s why we have invested in broadening and diversifying audiences and participation in Culture Night.”

Parents up and down the country are being encouraged to participate alongside their children.

Children's Books Ireland, in partnership with the Arts Council, have published a special guide to 100 of the best Irish books for children.

The Books Make Things Better reading guide, with a specially commissioned illustrated cover by Northern Irish artist Oliver Jeffers, is set to be distributed free of charge through bookshops and libraries.

The initiative comes as Culture Night goes virtual for the first time. The annual all-island event celebrating culture and the arts has had to make different arrangements for this years festival due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.

“This is the first year that the Arts Council has taken on the stewardship of Culture Night, and it’s a year of extraordinary challenges, not least for artists and the entire arts sector,” Ms Kennelly said.

“Ireland boasts a wealth of artistic talent that, this year more than ever, we must promote and support.”