Irish Libraries for St. Patrick's Day

Ireland, Dublin from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.

If you're thinking about the Emerald Isle today, you might enjoy this video shot by the Shanachies at the South Dublin County Council "Leabharlann" (Library) in Dublin, Ireland. At the ShanachieTour website, there's also another video from the Linen Hall Library in Belfast.

And did you know that the term "shanachie," which our roving Dutch library friends have adopted for their worldwide library tours, is an old Scottish / Irish word for someone who travels around telling stories, histories, and legends? And have you gotten their fantastic book?? ShanachieTour: A Library Road Trip Across America
(Just in case you've always wondered, it's pronounced "SHAN-uh-kee")

You might also enjoy a few pictures from my own trip to Ireland in the spring of 2007. Here's one from the Trinity College Library in Dublin (top right), and another from a small branch in Dalkey Village (below).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!