Patients at Letterkenny University Hospital to be given books for Culture Night

The Arts Council are to gift books to patients at Letterkenny University Hospital in celebration of Culture Night on Friday. 

The second year of the Read Mór book gifting project has begun. This time, patients in Letterkenny have the opportunity to participate in Culture Night and explore the limits of their imagination with a choice of 29 books by Irish-based authors and publishers. 

The other hospitals selected are Connolly Hospital, Dublin; Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Galway; St. Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny; Naas General Hospital, Kildare; Ennis General Hospital, Clare; and Croom Hospital Limerick, with 3,600 books in all being distributed.

Once finished, patients are encouraged to gift their book to a friend or family member to spread the joy of reading. There is a wide range of books to choose from including novels, short stories, poetry, memoirs and children's books. There will be a selection of titles in Irish too.

Dr Philip Crowley, HSE Director of Strategy and Research describes the benefits of reading and the advantages of this project: “The visit from the Read Mór Book Doctors and their teams to the hospitals will be a wonderful novelty and add some joy to our patients and healthcare staff. We cannot underestimate the benefits of reading to our mental health and wellbeing and we hope this project will increase awareness of those proven benefits.”

There are a variety of authors who are part of the Read Mór book gifting programme. These include Eimear McBride, who won the inaugural Goldsmith prize; John Banville, winner of the Booker Prize 2005; Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, leading Irish poet; Oein DeBhairduin, co-founder of LGBT TARA (Traveller and Roma Alliance); and Emma Donoghue, whose book was transformed into the Oscar-winning film, Room. 

The Arts Council is proud to collaborate with HSE Healthy Ireland on this project. Read Mór will ensure that more people can enjoy and feel involved in Culture Night, 2023. The purpose of Culture Night is to connect people on a national level to cultural activities. 

“T​​his year, Read Mór will also help bring the magic of Culture Night to those who cannot join in with the night’s events in the usual way," Maureen Kennelly, Director of The Arts Council said. "We could not have done this without the enthusiastic support of so many writers and publishers. We are especially grateful to our partners in HSE Healthy Ireland for their support in making Read Mór happen in hospitals across Ireland this Culture Night.”