Read all about it in Kinsale Library

A new library in Cork has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors through its doors since it opened last year.

The new library is located in the heart of Kinsale in the James O’Neill building and was designed by Cork County Council’s Architects Department. The 19th century grain store underwent significant refurbishment and was transformed into a three-storey multi-purpose building.

Now, Kinsale Library is celebrating its first birthday this Saturday 17 August, with a free family fun day. The birthday festivities will include a puppet show, concerts and talks, all events are free to attend with no booking. The concerts include performances by Ballinspittle Comhaltas as well as a guitar and singalong concert with Aengus Kiralowski.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll said: “Kinsale Library is a spectacular facility both inside and out and has become a tourist attraction in itself. The library is ten times larger than the previous premises and with 25,000 items available to borrow, its stock has increased fivefold. It has a beautiful event space which allows for multiple events to take place at the same time without disrupting other library activities.”

“Almost 6,000 people have attended 260 events since the library opened including author visits, exhibitions, book festivals, talks, yoga and much more. It really has become community hub for everyone to enjoy and I hope that the first birthday celebrations will be a huge success.”

The €4.8m refurbishment project was undertaken by Cork County Council with the support from the Department of Rural and Community Development under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

In June, Kinsale Library was recognized at the prestigious RIAI Architecture Awards winning the Conservation, Adaption and Re-Use category. The judges described the project as an inspiring example of how vacant buildings in our towns can be transformed into vibrant community amenities. The library also came third in the RIAI Public Choice Award. Niamh Áine Ryan

naryan@corkindependent.com