Rick O’Shea

RTÉ Broadcaster and Irish Independent books columnist

Before 2014 I used to read maybe fifteen or twenty books a year, my priorities and my concentration were elsewhere. Then, that year, I decided I would try to read 100 books. I knew I was capable of that, right? By the last few days of December I finished the last one and every year since then I've read 70 or 80 a year, so many of which wouldn't have made my life a better place if I hadn't erased the social media apps from my phone permanently and concentrated on something that made me so much happier every year.

Best of luck this year, I hope it's the start of something long term.

Rita Ann Higgins

Poet and Playwright

"A word after a word after a word is power." – Margaret Atwood

Reading brings about a freedom with no comparisons. I was twenty-two before I read a book from cover to cover. Being a slow reader, I struggled with the words on the page. After a while, words became familiar. Words became a comfort to me. Words were creating pictures. I could see Catherine and Heathcliff on the Moors.

Reading opened the door to a land of sounds and syllables. Getting into other people’s lives through books was mind blowing. I found myself thinking about characters while I was away from the book. I feel privileged to be able to read, I feel it’s a right as well - a human right. Never be afraid of words. They are as tough as old boots. Words are yours for the reading.

Conor O'Donnell

Actor

I’m an actor and a Trinity College Dublin student with Down Syndrome, from Newbridge, County Kildare, and I want everyone to feel included in reading. My first and favourite book I remember my parents reading to me was “Green Eggs and Ham” by Dr. Seuss. We love reading in our house.

As an actor, I need to read and practise my lines. Scripts and books give me characters, confidence, and energy. I’m excited about joining the Trinity book club, which is supported by Down Syndrome Ireland, sharing ideas with college friends, and hearing what they love to read. As an Ireland Reads Ambassador, I invite everyone to get lost in a good book — because reading really helps your mind, every day.

Liz Nugent

Author

Reading matters to everyone whether they know it or not. Recent studies have proven that it is great for mental health, and I know that when I was feeling down, books were the escape from reality I needed. As a child who spent a lot of time in hospital, stories took my mind off the pain. Even now, a biography might inspire me in the same way that a cookbook might spur me to action.

It is terribly important that children get to read real books. It is increasingly likely that most of their adult life will be spent looking at screens. Get them while they’re young. Read to them until they can read to you. They will associate books with parental love. It costs nothing to form this bond with your child. Ireland is blessed with one of the best library services in the world. Use it or lose it.

Dave Rudden

Author

It is my great pleasure to be an ambassador for the Ireland Reads campaign.

As a former teacher turned author, I have first-hand experience of the connective power of reading at any age. The magic of being transported to other worlds and other times is one thing, but what I find far more important is that very particular teleportation of stepping into other people’s heads.

Any reading is good reading, because reading reminds you that we all have our own plotlines – our own battles, our own triumphs, our own losses. I think there’s no lesson more important than that.

Sarah Webb

Author

Above everything, I’m a reader.

Books and reading mean so much to me. I could live without a lot of things, but not without books. They inform me, entertain me, help me step into other people's shoes, make me wonder. They are there when I'm well, when I'm sick, when I'm rested, when I'm tired.

They are my dear friends, my loyal companions. From old friends like Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters (a wonderfully immersive summer holiday book) or Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (one of the best books about creativity out there), to shiny new children’s novels, I love them all! 

Patricia Forde

Laureate na nÓg

Books have been my constant companion since my mother taught me to read at the the age of four. My childhood was consumed with stories and library books. I have travelled into space and under the sea. I’ve committed terrible crimes and solved convoluted mysteries, all while sitting comfortably in my own house. Most of all, as a teacher, a parent and as a writer I have seen the difference that reading for pleasure brings to the life of a child. I am delighted to support the Ireland Reads campaign.

Oliver Callan

Comedy writer and presenter

My earliest memories of being alive are all about books. I always got a book for my birthday, two days after Christmas. The first I can recall reading is The Enchanted Wood, by Enid Blyton. Three kids jump over a ditch and climb a tree from which they can visit other magical worlds at the top.

The first story that sweeps you off the ground and out of reality is always the best. I can still remember the very feeling of sitting in my parents’ bed late at night because I wasn’t allowed to keep the light on in the room I shared with the siblings. I went off into mad lands with the Saucepan man, and I haven’t come home since.

Molly Nic Céile

Digital Creator, Author and founder of Gaeilge i mo chroí

For years I wanted to become a regular reader. I knew how good I felt when I went through phases of reading and I wanted that feeling to become a regular part of my life. In 2025, I committed to a goal of reading 25 books and I actually achieved it! I could write a book about how it changed my life but instead I'd like to encourage you to read what's already out there. I support Ireland Reads because I believe that today more than ever, we need to read real books. Most of us are chronically online and besides the headaches that gives us, it's reducing our attention spans. You might find it hard to get lost in a book if you haven't read for a while but take it from someone who's been there; it gets easier and it's worth it. It doesn't matter what the book is, Ireland Reads encourages you to experience the joy of reading even if you only have a short while so go on #GetLost.

Dr Richard Hogan

Family Psychotherapist

‘If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like’. I still remember lying in bed, school bag on the floor, as I descended in the world of Holden Caufield. I had read great works of literature before that moment, ‘The old man and the Sea’, ‘The Dubliners’, ‘Waiting for Godot’. But this was the first time I fell in love with a character. The worlds authors expand our concepts of ourselves and what is possible in the world. They allow us to see ourselves as we are, messy and beautiful. There is nothing as powerful as words. ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’. Words have given me escape, and they have given me a life. They have helped me grasp the essence of the human condition.

Marian Keyes

Author

I was an anxious, lonely child, but when I read my first Enid Blyton book (‘The Twins at St Claire’s’) my mind was blown. Suddenly, I had a gateway to another world – to infinite worlds. I was able to escape the discomfort of being me by immersing myself in the lives of others.

Since then, reading has been my saviour. No matter what was going on for me, books comforted me, befriended me, made me laugh, made me think, gave me a breathing space and cocooned me from the world.

The ability to read is my superpower.

Róisín Ní Riain

Athlete

Reading has always played a crucial role in my life. Being a high-performance athlete, I am always on the go and constantly moving, so reading gives me the opportunity to slow down and allows me to think and use my imagination more. Being visually impaired, audiobooks have transformed reading into a far more accessible and enjoyable experience for me. It removes the struggle of seeing the small print of a physical book and gives me the chance to relax while listening to a book.

This is why I support Ireland reads, as it aims to support and encourage everyone to read, regardless of background, age or ability. Ireland Reads highlights the importance of reading for everyone and encourages everyone to go to their local library and get involved in the creative community. Inclusivity is crucial to Ireland Reads as it continues to support people of all different abilities to pick up a book and start reading, whether they be a physical book or an online audiobook.