President Michael D Higgins has donated a large number of books from his personal collection to public libraries.
He was at Cabra Library near Áras and Uachtaráin today to donate hundreds of books, a number of which are personally inscribed.
Many of the books will be available across the country to borrow or use via the Public Library Service.
Dublin City Librarian Mairead Owens said the National Library has received about 700 books, 250 of which have already been catalogued.
Speaking on RTÉ's Ray D’Arcy show, she described the collection as a "treasure trove".
She said there are some fiction books, but many are books on local studies, poetry and politics, as well as some children’s books.
She joked that parting with some of the books proved to be quite a challenge for the President.
"The President is a bibliophile", she said. "It's very clear he has a passion and a love of books. They were everywhere in his study and office".
Ms Owens said the President’s staff would make small piles of books to donate but every time they returned to move the pile, he would have stolen one or two books back.
"They were trying to persuade the President about what he would and wouldn’t part with".
The President Michael D. Higgins collection is derived from two sources – titles acquired by the President @PresidentIRL for his own personal research, and those presented to him from a wide range of sources on his local, national and international itineraries. pic.twitter.com/hfzvAjnIFs
— DublinCityLibraries (@dubcilib) February 11, 2020
Ms Ownes said the National Library service has 350 branch libraries and a national delivery service, so the books will be available no matter where you live in the country.
"So the books that are very special, as in local studies, we will specifically send them to the relevant counties", she said. "But a lot of them will be on the national catalogue, LibrariesIreland.ie. Whether you’re in Galway, Limerick, Longford or Wicklow, you’ll be able to borrow them".
President Higgins today donated over 700 books to the Public Library Service, at Cabra Library, which is part of the national network of public libraries, 'Libraries Ireland'.
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) February 11, 2020
Read more at https://t.co/NabCfVsOVr pic.twitter.com/WIDiIKYQRI
