This page includes the following sections:

• Library Services
• Arts

 

LIBRARY SERVICES

Service Points:

• Callan
• Castlecomer
• City Library, John's Quay
• Co. Library Headquarters (Administration and Local Studies)
• Graiguenamanagh
• Loughboy
• Mobile Service
• School's Service
• Thomastown
• Urlingford

 

A Community Service

If you can't come to us, we come to you, with our computerised Mobile Library Service, making 60 stops around the County. It visits each stop - on average, once every three weeks. Our Schools' Library Service serves 9,404 primary school children and their teachers, visiting each school, 3 times per year for book exchanges.

 

A Family Service

Whatever your age there is something for you. Perhaps you need general information - an address; a new recipe; instructions on learning to drive, D.I.Y.; building a house; managing money; raising children etc. We cover these areas and much more.

We have all kinds of books, from romances to thrillers, sports to fashion, whatever your interest. While teenagers, are well catered for in our Young Adult sections.

If we do not have a particular book in stock, we will do our best to get it through our inter-branch and inter-library loan networks. Our Public Access Internet PC's can be used to book a holiday or flight and to access many other services and information. You can also use them to keep in touch with your family and friends around the Globe by e-mail.

You can borrow music CD's or cassettes - there is something to suit all tastes. All our libraries have popular magazines that can be borrowed and newspapers for reading in the library. Large print books, books on tape, language course, and some CD-ROMs, are also available. We have comprehensive Reference Sections and staff can help to find what is needed, be it for study, interest, research, or just for fun.

Library membership for children under 14 years is FREE. All our libraries have books and tapes for children, while some branches have toys for playing with in the library. Lots of children's activities take place in our library branches including: an annual Children's Book Festival, Book clubs etc. and a Mother and Toddler Group at Castlecomer Library.

We have a well stocked Local Studies Department at Co. Library H.Q. Whether you are doing a thesis for a Local Studies Degree, writing a local parish history, interested in checking old newspapers for hurling match reports, looking up your family history, we can help. Our stock includes: 1901 and 1911 censuses; 19th Century R.C. Parish registers and local papers, from Finn's Leinster Journal of 1767 to present day Kilkenny People. You will also find some general local studies files in your local branch library.

Libraries are for everybody including, people who can't read very well and who would like to improve their skills, and people who can't read at all. We help through our Literacy collections and by providing facilities for Adult Literacy tutorials.

 

Highlights of our 2003 Programme

www.kilkennylibrary.ie and Web OPAC

A new website was created for the Library Service incorporating our Library catalogue on the Web. The Public can now search the catalogue and view recommended titles. Library members can also view their account details and Renew and Reserve items.

 

Special Olympics

Kilkenny City hosted the German Team, while Callan and Thomastown played host to teams from the Cote d'Ivoire and Alaska respectively. Activities were run in the local branches to mark the occasion. German classes for children - sponsored by Bank of Ireland, Kilkenny - were held in the City Branch. Callan Library was a venue for the "Paint the Feeling" art exhibition. While Thomastown Library had a quiz and colouring competition for children, on Alaska and it's flag.

 

Graig 800

Graiguenamanagh celebrates the 800th Anniversary of its foundation in 2004. A year long series of celebrations,was launched on 9th June, in Graiguenamanagh library by Minister for Arts, Sports & Tourism, John O'Donoghue. Co. Manager, Michael Malone Co. Librarian, James Fogarty and local Councillor, Joan Murphy also attended the launch.

 

Bealtaine Festival

During the Festival an exhibition of creative writing and cross stitch by KARA (Kilkenny Active Retirement Association) was held in Loughboy Library.

 

Kilkenny Local Radio

In July, Senior library Assistant, Mary Morrissey and Assistant Librarian, Dorothy O'Reilly, appeared on "Summertime with Deirdre Quinn", to talk about the Library Service and good summer reads.

 

Summertime Activities for Children

A host of activities for children took place in all library branches around the County during July and August. These included: Reading Challenges; Art and Crafts workshops; Storytime, Gymboree Music and Jellybean Julie for younger children. In addition, a number of workshops were run, by the Co. Council's Environmental Awareness Officer.

 

Kilkenny Arts Festival

Kilkenny libraries played host to a storytellers, Liz Weir, Dan Yashinsky (UNICEF Canada's Storyteller in Residence) and native American Dovie Thomason, Sickles

 

100 years of Carnegie Libraries

This photographic exhibition by South County Dublin, An Taisce was officially launched in County Hall, on 9th September by the Heritage Officer Dearbhala Ledwidge Dolores Gaffney, Chief Information Officer, Kilkenny Castle gave a short talk on Kilkenny Libraries. Local studies librarian, Declan Macauley, put together an accompanying display including; A selection of Archives from the Kilkenny Library Society - which preceded the Carnegie Library; some annual reports of the County Library Service from the 1930's; and some Kilkenny County Library Service Union Catalogues from the 1960's.

 

Children's Book Festival 2003

This ran from 28th - 31st October in all branches and was a huge success. It included author visits by Tom McCaughren, Lucinda Jacob, Vincent McDonnell and Eanna Ni Lamhna - the Insect lady!

Events included:

• Art and Craft and Music workshops,
• Science is Magic and History Alive shows,
• an Inter-branch Library Quiz, and
• presentations to Reading Challenge participants.

There was also a local heat of the National "Design a Bookmark Competition", sponsored by Youth Library Group of the Library Association.

 

Jacqueline Wilson Play

43 first year students from Castlecomer Community College, attended the play "Double Act", by well known children's author, Jacqueline Wilson, in the Helix Theatre Dublin, on Monday 10th November. The outing was organized by Castlecomer Library Staff members Mary Morrissey and Aisling Kelly. They accompanied the group, together with Anna Byrne of the School's Library Service. A good time was had by all.

 

Training Courses for Library Staff

Staff took part in the following courses during the year:

• Reading Readiness development and the Role of Storytelling,
• Readers on the Web,
• Introduction to Marketing and Reader development for Librarians,
• Making your own Xmas gifts,
• VEC Family History Research course,
• Dealing with Aggression,
• Advanced Excel and Microsoft Publishing courses

 

Local Studies 2003

The following were the highlights of 2003 in the area of Local Studies/genealogy.

• Kilkenny County Library participated in the Government sponsored Cultural Heritage Project. In brief, the project administered by the Library Council of Ireland aims to use the Internet to make the holdings of County Libraries" Local Studies" accessible on-line. In phase one of the project the Library designed a small web-site commemorating the life of George Berkelely.
• The year 2003 marked the 250th anniversary of the death of George Berkeley. The library was active in the setting up of Kilkenny's new Berkeley Committee and the organization of the autumn's Commemorative Anniversary Conference in the Parade Tower in Kilkenny Castle. The Conference allowed Berkeley scholars around the world to exchange views and also see the City where Berkeley was educated. The Library mounted an exhibition on the Life of George Berkeley in the City Library to coincide with the Conference.
• In phase two of the Cultural Heritage Project, the Library is doing a project on the Woodstock Estate. The project covers three separate themes, flora and fauna; the trees of Woodstock, architecture; Woodstock House, Big Houses of Ireland; The Tighe Family. We are hoping to have these sites online in early 2004.
• 2005 marks the hundred anniversary of the publication of Canon Carrigan's work "The History and Antiquities of the Diocese of Ossory". It is planned locally and nationally to mark this important event. The County Librarian is actively involved on the Carrigan Committee in formulating events to mark this occasion.
• The Library continued with its active policy of collecting local newspapers in 2003. Issues of the Kilkenny Journal from the late 19th and early 20th Century were acquired on microfiche. The Library finished compiling a joint location index for the 1901 and 1911 Census. The Local Studies holdings are now available on-line via the Library's online public access catalogue.

 

Library Statistics 2002 (Latest):

• 204,000 Library visits.
• 8,394 Registered Borrowers.
• 280,104 Items loaned.
• 9,501 Internet Access Sessions.

 

Library Servuce Indicators 2002 (Latest):

No. of Items Issued Per Head of Population:

Books	5.98
Other Items	1.25

 

 

ARTS SECTION

Introduction

""My intentions for 2003 were to spend much of my time and resources on researching, within each art form. Assessing 'wants and needs' and taking stock, with a view to putting appropriate measures into place. Thus enabling me to devise my aims and objectives, policies and structures for the Arts in Kilkenny. Very early on it became clear that an Arts Strategy for Kilkenny City and County was of utmost importance as was surveying and investigating leading to pilot schemes for practitioners and community groups. The appetite, passion and enthusiasm for the Arts in Kilkenny is vast yet many of the structures and policies necessary for a more successful and thriving scene are not yet in place. Ensuring the development and security of this is a time consuming task and one that is worth taking time over. This Strategy and its implementation will create solid foundations, which can be built upon in the future, ensuring a successful and prosperous Arts environment within the region. 2003 was also be a time for me to initiate and instigate a number of Pilot Schemes, Projects and Programmes based upon the outcome of my research with a view to cultivating and developing these in the coming years.""

Mary Butler, Arts Officer.

 

Relocation of the Arts Office

The Arts Office relocated to a more central position in town. We moved from the Hebron Road to Parliament Street, a much more suitable and accessible site for both ourselves and the public.

 

Visual Arts

County Hall Exhibitions
County Hall's Exhibition programme commenced in 2003 with "Composition" which ran from February - April. This was a site specific show by Ireland's only Dutch Master Florist, Lamber de Bie. It was created specifically for the Link Corridor area of the building. The exhibition was filmed by RTE for viewing on Nationwide.

From May - June, the students from Kilkenny School of Art and Design showcased their work in an exhibition called "Virtual Notebook". The work included a wide range of mediums which chartered the artists progression and investigation.

R.I.A.I. Exhibition. Annual show of Royal Irish Architects Institute, photography exhibition of award winning buildings.

Throughout the month of August, "Transitions" brought together 18 artists with various abilities from Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent. KCAT creates an environment in which students and artists from different backgrounds can work together as creative equals and in which learning is a possibility for everyone. "Transitions" included works by both artists and mentors from the KCAT studio. This fantastic group show included a beautiful installation utilizing the three tiers of County Hall. This show was the main exhibition organized by the Arts Office for the Kilkenny Arts Festival 2003.

September saw the opening of an exhibition highlighting 100 years of Carnegie Libraries, a historical view of Libraries in Ireland.

Throughout October and November, an exhibition on Litter was shown, the objective being to raise the public's awareness on the problem of litter, locally, nationally and internationally.

 

Kilkenny Arts Festival, Exhibitions
"Full Circle", Art Route was a diverse variety of shows sited throughout various venues in Kilkenny. Alternative spaces such as the canal lodge, an old hairdressing salon and external city centre shop walls were secured to show the work of a number of active contemporary local artists. A leaflet was produced and this Art Route, was the first of its kind for Kilkenny's Arts Festival. The shows consisted of a wide range of techniques and media including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation work, photography and ceramics.

 

Watergate Theatre, Gallery Upstairs
Refurbishment. The Watergate Theatre exhibition space was in jeopardy earlier this year due to the cessation of the current Arts and Travellers FAS scheme. This space was far too precious to lose for many reasons, specifically because of the lack of exhibition space within Kilkenny. Therefore the Arts Office took on the co ordination of the exhibitions. It was not an ideal space but had great potential to become a more appropriate exhibition area. We have managed to very successfully refurbish this space. Therefore it's potential for hosting larger works and a more diverse exhibition programme has increased greatly. Also, due to the refurbishment it was endorsed as an official exhibition venue for the 2003 Kilkenny Arts Festival.

 

Watergate Exhibitions
Throughout 2003 a total of twelve exhibitions were shown at the Watergate Theatre in The Gallery Upstairs. January showcased the work of a number of artists from KCAT, Hazel Bradshaw exhibited in February and Kathleen Holohan in March. In April, artist John Davis showed a collection of painted and photographic images. Paintings by artist Michael Mcgrath depicting landsape and theatrical images were exhibited throughout May.

This was followed by artist Mary Butler in June with a site - specific textile installation using traditional and non-traditional techniques. Claire Hogan exhibited in July with an exhibition of prints. The Kilkenny Arts Festival show in August featured artist Steve Aylin's landscape paintings reflecting the Irish landscape. An exhibition essentially about animals was represented through the work of artist Anna Walshe in September. In October large scale paintings and sculptural shoes was an exhibition by artist Kathleen Delaney. Julie Moorehouse exhibited in November with a collection of figurative paintings. An exhibition of drawings and paintings based on the transition to motherhood was viewed by Grace Hamilton in December.

 

Children's Workshops
July/August Workshop for 7-12 year olds. 'Skyworks' - a week-long workshop for children in Loughboy Library where participants created a variety of sky related images which were suspended from the library ceiling, highlighting the theme of space.

August Workshop for children under 6 in Castlecomer Library based on summer crafts.

October workshops for children were held in various County Libraries. 'Storybook Masks' and 'Autumn Decorations' were two workshops for 6-12 year olds held in Castlecomer Library. In Loughboy Library, 'Create your own spooky story' based on a musical workshop was held which allowed children to experience creating various sounds and relating the sounds to words. In Callan Library, another music workshop was held for the same age group. 'Bookworks' was the title of a workshop held in Urlingford Library and Kilkenny City Library. 'Mask-making' was held. 'Rio 'round the corner' a music workshop based on traditional Brazilian Carnival samba was held in the Fr. McGrath Centre.

 

Workshops in Schools
In collaboration with Kilkenny's School Completion Programme, the following workshops were held:

Gaelscoil Osrai, two-day paper making course where students learnt the basic techniques of paper making and working with plant fibre. This workshop was also held in St. John's National School Kilkenny. 'Personal Murals' was a series of five Saturday morning workshops with students from the Colaiste Pobail Osrai, who created painting on large panels using handmade stencils.

 

Creative Opportunity for the Community / Public (ongoing)
An opportunity for the Public to design postcards with any medium using any techniques. It is envisaged that over 1,500 postcards will be exhibited in the County Hall 2004, with the sale from the postcards generating funding that will benefit the children in the community by organising a children's Art Day.

 

De fil en aguile
I, Mary Butler, collaborated with French artist Francoise Dupre and a group of local women based in the city. Francoise took part in the IMMA Residency programme. "The project is process-based. To sit down together and knit and talk about things....relevant to the group (social, cultural issues etc....) then bring the knitting together into an installation.". She travelled to Kilkenny regularly to work with the group. Thus involving them in her residency project which is called fil en aiguille. The knitting created by Francoise, a group of women in Dublin and the women from Kilkenny was then exhibited at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in January 2004.

 

Theatre

In February, 'Little Victories', a production by Barnstorm was shown in the Watergate Theatre, which employed various theatrical skills including masks, puppetry, fantasy and special effects. The Arts Office provided subsidies to a variety of County based schools to enable them to attend this production.

 

Music

In February the National Chamber Choir, Ireland's premier chamber choir performed in the Parade Tower Kilkenny.

The Duiske Abbey presented a series of classical performances in November with Neil Cooney playing Bach, Schumann, Chopin and Liszt. Also performing throughout the month were The Moscow piano Trio.

In August, the Steinway Piano made a historical move from Duiske Abbey to Ballytobin, Callan Co. Kilkenny. This decision was based on providing more suitable conditions in order to preserve the piano into the future and to maintaining its value for the City and County.

 

Professional Development For Practitioners

Arts Survey
Various surveys were designed and sent to artists of all art forms, visual art, visual art and makers, writers, performance artists, musicians and song writers. The survey was carried out in order to obtain a more accurate picture of art activities in the City and County, and to access further ways in which to develop the arts in Kilkenny.

 

Free Networking Events organised for Artists and Writers
Three Networking Events were organised for artists and writers in the community.

In October an event for visual artists and makers was held in the cellar bar of the Smithywicks Brewery Club. A talk was given by French artist Francoise Dupre.

This was followed in November with an event in the Parade Tower, Kilkenny Castle for visual artists with a talk given by well-known artist Blaise Smith.

In December, a networking event was held for writers in the Parade Tower and the talk was given by writer Michael Coady, winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 1979 and who has published three collections of poetry and prose.

The Networking Events were organised to present and opportunity for artists of all forms to come together, network and socialise. Each event began with an inspiring talk followed by a question and answer session. The events proved to be highly successful in achieving their objectives which was related in the evaluation sheets for artists to complete.

The Networking events will be continued in 2004.

 

Studios and residency Spaces in the City.
The former Chadwicks premises in Kilkenny was acquired by Kilkenny County Councils Arts Office on a temporary basis.

From the 3rd November to the 19th December, students from the Kilkenny School of Art and Design moved in to the building to further their studies undertaking research and the creation of temporary site specific work on the premises. It is envisaged that the building will be further employed to develop short term studio spaces and residencies for artists.

 

Portfolio Advice and Life drawing Course
On the 13th - 14th December, a Portfolio and life drawing course was run in Ormonde College. The course facilitated students in preparation for Art College providing them with valuable guidance in the presentation and content of their portfolios. They also received two full days of experience in drawing from life.

 

Introduction to Papermaking
This one-day course in November provided an opportunity for artists to experience and learn the basic techniques of papermaking including knowledge of using plant fibre.

 

Arts Act Grants

A total of 20 Arts Act Grants were received by individuals and groups/organisations in the community assisting the development of the arts in a diverse range of art practices.

 

Contributions to Other Bodies

The Arts Office supports and contributes to other bodies - Rothe House, Barnstorm, Fás employment and training development and the Watergate Theatre.

 

Strategic Arts Plan

The development of an Arts Strategy for Kilkenny has been initiated. The Strategy will span the next five year period and is a necessary tool for Kilkenny to develop its vision for the future of the Arts within the City and County. It will provide the framework within which the arts can develop and flourish into our future. In order to devise the Strategy a Committee has been established. This Committee has the ability to reflect the wider arts community, City and County wide. The committee members consist of Mary Butler, Arts Officer, Phil Cullen, Vincent Dempsey, Grace Kearney, Maureen Kennelly, Valerie Mullally and Dorothy O'Reilly. The committee members met regularly to research and formulate the Strategy. The development of the Strategy was regularly brought to the attention of the SPC 5 Committee. The committee will continue to have regular meetings throughout 2004. Consultations will also be undertaken with the general public and arts practitioners within the first half of 2004. Leading to the further development and completion of the Strategy.