If your local bookshop holds a special place in your heart, now is the time to show your appreciation as the search for the Bord Gáis Energy Bookshop of the Year begins. The award aims to recognise those retail stalwarts who connect readers and authors on a daily basis and provide us with endless hours of entertainment.
In Mayo, seven bookshops are looking for your vote. They include McLoughlin’s Bookshop, Westport; Smyth’s Bookstore, Claremorris; Books etc, Claremorris; McLoughlin’s Bookshop, Castlebar; Eason and Son Ltd, Castlebar; Castle Book and Card Centre Ltd, Castlebar; and Eason & Son Ltd, Ballina.
To cast your vote, log onto www.bordgaisenergybookclub.ie before Friday October 14. By taking part you will also be in with the chance to win €1,000 worth of free electricity.
The Irish book industry employs some 5,000 people in Ireland and is worth approximately €148 million to the economy. We are avid readers, buying 14 million books annually comprising 300,000 different titles. Fiction is our passion, representing 30 per cent of book sales in Ireland, followed by children’s books at 20 per cent. Native Irish publishing accounts for 18 per cent of sales.
The 10 finalists with the most votes across five regions — Ulster, Munster, Connacht, Leinster and Greater Dublin — will be announced, along with all the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards categories, on Thursday October 20. The eventual winner will be revealed at the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards ceremony at the Convention Centre Dublin on November 17. The winning shop will receive €5,000 worth of free electricity.
