Latest news with #CharlieByrne
Irish Examiner
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Book are my business: Children's Books Ireland publications officer Ruth Concannon
Ruth Concannon is publications officer with Children's Books Ireland (CBI), which aims to help children and young people become readers for life. How did you get into your role? I did a masters in University College Dublin, and my thesis was on children's literature. I knew it was an area I wanted to explore, so I did an internship with Children's Books Ireland. When I finished that, I worked in Charlie Byrne's bookshop in Galway for a few years, and also with Dublin City University (DCU), Dublin City Council Culture Company, and the National Library of Ireland. I always kept books at the heart of it. I returned and did a masters in children's and young adult literature at DCU, then I saw this job come up, and I jumped at the chance. I am in the role just over two years now and it was a real full circle moment, because it was almost 10 years after my internship that I became a full-time staff member. What does your role involve? It's a really varied role. I lead on selecting books for review on our website and across our publications. I edit our magazine, which is our flagship publication, and our other reading guides. I help Elaina, our CEO, to select books that are highlighted on TV, radio, and in the media. I also write round-ups for various media outlets. I represent CBI when we go to the Bologna Book Fair and to YALC, the young adult literature convention, which is in London every November. I work across the team, with our comms team, book gifting and for awards submission. I track Irish-published books, to see what are the best opportunities for them to shine. What do you like most about what you do? There is something really special about finding a book and passing it on to the right reader. I get a real buzz off that, whether it is matching one of our reviewers with the right book, or showing parents, caregivers and teachers a list of books on a topic that can help them through a difficult time. It's also really great to be able to help authors get their books out there. I still work as a book doctor, so seeing the look on a child's face when they get a book, that really means a lot to me. I believe that a book can really spark something that can change the course of your life. The book clinics are great because I get to see what the children themselves are enjoying — they are incredibly honest, which I always appreciate. What do you like least about it? I'm really fortunate in that I read widely because I have to read across age groups and genres. Sometimes it would be nice to have more time to savour the books, like when you finish a book and it's so good and profound that you would like to sit with it for a while before you move on to the next. Three desert island books If I was on a desert island, a comfort read would be key, so I would bring Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy. I love the way she tells stories and knits everything together, and the sense of community that you get from her books. I love listening to her audiobooks as well, because her cousin Kate Binchy reads them and she is spectacular. The next book would be The Illustrated Mum by Jacqueline Wilson, who was a very influential author on me growing up. I absolutely adored her books, and it's a treat now to revisit them, because she has started to write adult sequels, which is such a gift. The last one is likely the most important one, The Secret of the Ruby Ring by Yvonne McGrory, an author from Donegal, which came out in the early '90s. When I was about nine, my aunt got me a box of books from a charity shop for Christmas, and this was in it. It was the book that started my journey to becoming a reader; if I hadn't read it, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.
Irish Examiner
07-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Books are my business: Bookshop children's section manager Méabh McDonnell
Méabh McDonnell is children's section manager with Charlie Byrne's bookshop in Galway. She is also the author of a middle-grade novel, Into the Witchwood. Her YA book, Any Way You Slice It, is available to pre-order. How did you get into bookselling? I have always had a big interest in children's books and children's writing, and would have been aware of what was going on in children's books and publishing in general. I used to work as a sub-editor in a regional newspaper, and about six years ago, I was looking for a change. I had always been interested in working in a bookshop, and I sent my CV into Charlie's and, as it happened, they were looking for someone who had an interest in children's books. Within about two weeks, it was like: 'This is where I am meant to be.' I would have been familiar with Charlie's from a fairly young age, and I was a long-time customer before I started working there. Sometimes I have a nice little 'pinch me' moment where I think about how excited my younger self would be if she knew I had a copy of the keys. It is particularly rewarding and special to be a children's bookseller. What does your role involve? My days are often very different. I would generally come in and maybe go through the previous day in sales. Then, at some point during the day, we would get deliveries in and I put out new books. I spend a certain amount of my day researching new titles, and maybe on the phone with sales reps or meeting them about books we want to buy in. At certain times of the year, I might go over to the UK to buy new stock. If it's a Saturday, we have a free story-time session that I run where we read from picture books for about an hour. On other days, I might have a children's book club on, where a group of kids come in to talk about a different book every month. We also might have author visits or school visits. For example, today I was down at a school talking to them about stocking a new library. What do you like most about it? My favourite part is talking to a child about a book that I've recommended to them and seeing it click with them, where they have fallen in love with not just the book but with the idea of reading and they want to find that magic again. There's nothing like seeing that, particularly with children who maybe were reluctant readers or thought reading wasn't for them. I believe that there is a book out there for every child. What do you like least about it? If somebody is looking for something specific and I don't have it or I can't find it. I will try to order it for them, or I try to track down a copy, but sometimes you just can't quite lay your hand on something. Luckily, it doesn't happen that often and usually you can find something else. As we often say about Charlie's, you'll always go away with something. Three desert island books Philip Pullman's Northern Lights was one of the first books I read as a teenager that I felt really captured something bigger than itself. It's a book that I return to a lot and it still makes me cry. I'm cheating a bit with the next one, which would be the Ursula Le Guin Earthsea Cycle. I remember being amazed by the scope of it and by the sophistication of the writing — it felt so philosophical and magical. My third pick would be I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith — I remember reading it for the first time when I was about 17 and being so captivated by the main character, Cassandra Mortmain. It sat perfectly between a classic novel and one that was more modern.
