Irish Book Week is delighted to announce the 2019 ambassadors: broadcaster and founder of Ireland’s biggest book club Rick O’Shea, and authors Niall Breslin, Sarah Breen and Emer McLysaght.  Established last year, Irish Book Week is a collaboration between Bookselling Ireland and Publishing Ireland, which invites people to celebrate Irish books and bookshops between October 26^th – November 2^nd.
 
Rick O’Shea:
"I love spending my time these days promoting books and Irish authors just for fun; it's a genuine privilege that Irish Book Week have asked me to do it as a job, for a week at least!" 
 
Niall Breslin:
“Growing up, record stores were always such a core part of the high streets across towns and cities. The buzz of going into one and browsing through the albums was a huge part of my childhood. With the onset of the internet and its affect on the music industry these vital places started to close down all over the country and I still miss them.  Bookshops provide this same impact for many. Getting lost in the shelves is always such a brilliant way to spend some time in this fast moving dynamic society of ours. Luckily the internet didn’t have the same impact on the book industry as it did on the music industry and its important we preserve the crucial importance of bookshops in our villages, towns and cities.”
 
Sarah Breen & Emer McLysaght:
“We've been in Irish bookshops up and down the country these past few years and have been blown away by the hard work, kindness and dedication of the people running them, as well as the talent of Irish writers on the shelves. We are delighted to be Irish Book Week ambassadors and to fly the flag for a nation of storytellers.”
 
To support the campaign, Bookselling Ireland have also launched the Find Your Local Bookshop app, which allows consumers in Ireland to search for bookshops local to them. The app lists all Bookselling Ireland bookshops in the Republic of Ireland and automatically shows the consumer the bookshops closest to their location. Consumers can search by location and bookshop name. They can also limit their search to academic booksellers, chains, children’s, Christian, independents and school suppliers. Each search result returns the key contact details for the shop, as well as directions from the consumer’s current location, opening hours and available services.
 
Throughout Irish Book Week there will be events across the country, celebrating Irish books and the central role bookshops play in Irish society and culture.  The week aims to encourage people into their local bookshop, and to highlight the important role bookshops play in the fabric of Irish life – fostering cultural creativity, community spirit and generating economic activity.