THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE have said they will “squeeze in a read” today, as part of Ireland Reads Day, with over 650,000 minutes of reading pledged so far.
The campaign has encouraged the Irish public to get stuck into a book, magazine or newspaper to help with their wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
People across the country are getting involved with the initiative, and the number of minutes pledged can be tracked live here.
Earlier this month, President Michael D Higgins donated over 700 books to the public library system. To coincide with Ireland Reads Day, he made another donation of books from his own collection.
“Books have played, and continue to play, probably an inordinate role, in my own life. Books are a great friend,” said Higgins.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin encouraged people to get involved with the initiative, which is part of the government’s “Keep Well” programme.
For https://t.co/UlgLMxJ9Pg day, I encourage everyone to to take a few moments to #SqueezeInARead - and celebrate the power of books to enlighten and delight us. pic.twitter.com/SNNNygggzi
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) February 25, 2021
“I want to encourage everyone to take a few moments out of their day to squeeze in a read,” said Martin.
“Reading is a great resource for the mind, which can educate us, enlighten us or transport us to faraway worlds.”
A group of ambassadors, from the worlds of sport, writing, science and broadcasting, have come together to support the programme, including Rick O’Shea, Áine Ní Ghlinn, Professor Luke O’Neill, Patricia Scanlan and Emma Donoghue.
In a statement, O’Shea said that today was a brilliant chance to rediscover the benefits of reading and to take some time to themselves.
“I think that, more than most other years, 2020 and now 2021 are the years we need reading in our lives most because reading can help us imagine that other worlds are possible and better days are ahead,” said O’Shea.
Despite the closure of libraries due to current Covid-19 restrictions, library members can still access books through the Borrowbox service, where they can access over 44,000 ebooks or 33,000 audiobooks.
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