About
The Irish Bookshop is the online home of Red Books, a quirky independent bookstore located in Wexford town's St Peter’s Square and Gorey town's Rafter Street. We sell new, previously loved, antiquarian and collectible books. We also publish books on our publishing label, Red Books Press, and run two literary and arts journals called the Wexford Bohemian, and Wexford Women Writing Undercover.
Red Books was formed in 2016 by Wally O' Neill in a perfect storm of recession hangover, anarchism and love of books. The original Red Books was the official smallest bookshop in Ireland, located in a former bulls-shed in the beautiful South Wexford village of Bridgetown. (We moved the bull out before the books went in).
In August 2019 Red Books moved to a larger store in Wexford town. Despite two years of uncertainty during the Covid-19 crisis, we expanded into our neighbouring unit in June 2022, doubling the size and our collection of books. We currently house 80,000 individual titles on site and have close to 250,000 books in total. We also have a dedicated writer’s centre.
Bookselling isn’t for everyone. We view it as a vocation, and like most vocations, it won’t make you rich. The love of books drives us and we hope that love can be passed onto you, the reader.
Red Books Press
Red Books Press was formed in 2020 in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic. So far, we have published twenty two books and eight anthologies, with much more in the planning and development stages.
Published by Red Books Press
Every Second Second (Dan Finn)
Follow the Sun: How two rebel neuroscientists solved Covid-19 (Sean O' Nualláin)
Through a Farmer's Eyes (Mattie White)
All of them, Hipsters (Zeff Ryder)
The Hydra Sydrome (Daithi Kavanagh)
Collection of the Night Poems (Dean Bolger)
The Embarrassing Superpowers Club: The Gifting (Richard Williams)
Top Garden Afterlife (Alan Dobbs)
Eitilt (Alan Davis & Sarah O' Brien)
Light Alchemy (Pippi Firman & Deirdre McGarry)
Plays (Eamonn Colfer)
The Storm (Daithi Kavanagh)
Bronagh (AoifeRose O' Brien)
Nuvor #1 (Tiarnan O' Grady)
The New One: Reality, Beauty and the Sacred (Sean O' Nualláin)
A wilderness of my own: Diary of an artist through lockdown (Helen Gaynor)
Cruel & Vicious (Alanna Hammel)
Nuvor #2 (Tiarnan O' Grady)
Along the Grassy Path (Liam Regan)
When I Grow Up I Want To Be (Alanna Hammel)
County Wexford's Revolutionary War: The Collected Books of Seamus Mac Suain (Reissue of Seamus Mac Suain's history books)
Views from the Field (Mattie White)
Lost Boy (Stephen Barnes)
Wexford (Kathleen browne) Historic Reprint
One More Bell to Ring (John Cooney)
Professor Harriet (John Atkinson)
Making Waves (Imelda Carroll)
Down on the Farm (Chris Black)
Sportsman Mick: A Lifetime in Local Sports (Mick Carty)
Kaleidoscope Times (Anne Ireton)
Towards the Mountains of Liberty: 1798 at the Northern tip of County Wexford (Fionntán O Suilleabhain)
Mayglass Holy Tower (Compiled by Bernard Browne)
Anthologies published by Red Books Press
Wexford Bohemian Issue 1 (SOLD OUT) Lauched August 14th 2020
Wexford Bohemian Issue 2 (SOLD OUT) Launched October 30th 2020
Wexford Women Writing Undercover - Launched March 7th 2021 (SOLD OUT)
A Little Bit of Magic: Stories by Children of Wexford in Lockdown - Launched October 31st 2021 (SOLD OUT)
Wexford Women Writing Undercover 2nd edition - Launched February 2nd 2022
Wexford Bohemian Issue 3 - Launched June 10th 2022
Wexford Women Writing Undercover 3rd edition - Launched July 2nd 2022
Wexford Bohemian Issue 4 - Launched November 4th 2022
Wexford Women Writing Undercover 4th Edition - Launched July 15th 2023
Wexford Bohemian Issue 5 - Launched October 21st 2023
Wexford Bohemian Issue 6 - Launches October 26th 2024
Coming Soon
Tales from Beyond (Volume 1)
The Truth (Kathleen Browne)
The Merchants of Wexford (Declan Reck)
The Red Series
A new collection of progressive and often transgressive chapbooks which launched in August 2021
1. Collection of the Night Poems (Dean Bolger)
2. Top Garden Afterlife (Alan Dobbs)
WRITE CLUB
A writer's group called Write Club meets monthly in Red Books (check out upcoming events for details). New writers are welcome to this laid back, round table group. A three euro fee covers the night, with light refreshments served.
OUTSPOKEN
We run a monthly spoken-word open-mic called OUTSPOKEN in Red Books. The first OUTSPOKEN took place on Friday the 23rd of September to coincide with Culture Night. OUTSPOKEN is currently hosted by Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
September 23rd: Special guest poet was Rosemary Palmeira. Also performing on the night were Alanna Hammel, Deirdre McGarry, Dean Bolger, Ita Grattan, Ronan Berry, Emma Shannon, Jordan Feeley, Cathal O' Gara, Marie Howlin and John Cooney.
October 21st: Special guest poet was Eire Ni Fhaolain. Also performing on the night were Chris Black, Anne Ireton, Ellie Taylor-Brock, Jimi Rivets, Suzie White, Lulu Sinnott, Kevin McDermoit, John Cooney, Marie Howlin, Rachel Ui Fhaolain, Meg Ni Luanaigh, Mary O Brien, Stephen James Smith, Ibar Quirke, Alison Kavanagh, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
November 18th: Special guest poet was Margaret Galvin. Also performing on the night were Ronan Berry, Ibar Quirke, Chris Black, Wendy Connolly, John Cooney, Ita Grattan, Ed Barker, Stephen James Smith, Jimi Rivets, Martina Byrne, Lulu Sinnott, Elva Crowley, Alice Doyle, Daithi Kavanagh, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
February 18th: Special guest poet was AM Cousins. Also performing on the night were Daithi Kavanagh, Ibar Quirke, Conor Lyons, Chris Black, Wendy Connolly, Marie Howlin, Ronan Berry, Alice Doyle, Jimi Rivets, John Cooney, Alison Kavanagh, Stephen James Smith, Lulu Sinnott, Shane Hurley, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
March 25th: Special guest poet was Sinead O' Reilly. Also performing were Daithi Kavanagh, Margaret Hawkins, Ibar Quirke, Conor Lyons, John Cooney, Paul Hennessy, Chris Black, Richard Williams, Anne Cousins, Ella Kelly, Conor Black, Darragh Barnes, Alice Doyle, Jimi Rivets, Lulu Sinnott and our two MCs, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
April 27th: A very special Poetry Day OUTSPOKEN. We teamed up with Poetry Ireland to bring you a competition based on a poem about, or inspired by, independent bookstores. This was the grand finale featuring 15 of our 17 finalists (Caroline Stevens-Taylor and Roisin Hensman were unable to attend). Our winner was Deirdre O' Connor, with second place going to Megan Kenny and third to Stephen Comerford. Thanks to our other finalists who performed; Anne Ireton, Ally Power, Fintan Murphy, Holly Lovelace, Joe Neal, Margaret Galvin, Mya Peters, Muireann Murphy, Orla Goldsmith, Paul Hennessy, Seamus O Connor and Suzanne Doran. Thanks to our judging panel of Alanna Hammel, Deirdre McGarry and Cllr Tom Forde.
May 27th: Special guest poet was Deirdre McGarry. Also performing were Ibar Quirke, Alice Doyle, John Cooney, Conor Lyons, Margaret Hawkins, Margaret Galvin, Mayor Maura Bell, Eri Farrell, Anne Cousins, Jimi Revets, John Atkinson and Alanna Hammel.
June 24th: Special guest poet was Mary Beary. Also performing were Tony Bergin, Ibar Quirke, Conor Lyons, Odhran Somers, Lulu Sinnott, Jimi Revets, Martina Byrne, Marie Howlin, Paul Hennessy, Chris Black, Deirdre McGarry and Alanna Hammel.
July 21st: Special guest poet was Paul Hennessy. Also performing were Ibar Quirke, Elva Crowley, Alice Doyle, Odhran Somers, Lorraine Smyth, Marie Howlin, Dave Mulligan, Margaret Galvin, Phil Lyons, Mary Beary, Aislinn Leonard-Curtin, Martina Byrne, and our two MCs, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.
August 18th: Special guest poet was Ronan Berry. Also performing were Ibar Quirke, Alice Doyle, Odhran Somers, John Cooney, Conor Lyons, Phil Lyons, Jack Hawkins, Vincent Murphy, and our two MCs, Alanna Hammel and Deirdre McGarry.