The Selection Box: Books Edition with Tomás Kenny

An Irishman Abroad

In today’s episode of our mini-series on Irish independent bookshops Jarlath visits Kenny's Bookshop in Galway. He speaks to Tomás Kenny about the university romance that gave rise to this family business, the gamble of starting a bookstore in 1940s Ireland and the remarkable stories that are tied up in the history of this Irish literary institution. From humble beginning Kenny's has gone on to become a pillar of the Irish arts landscape west of the Shannon and the preferred Irish book supplier for the United States Library of Congress. Tomás also explains how a chance meeting with an unemployed computer engineer in 1994 resulted in Kenny's bookshop beating Amazon to the internet punch. Finally we hear the touching story of how the local community rallied around the bookshop during the pandemic. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 400 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad Supplementary research provided by John Meagher. The Irishman Abroad Liveline is now open. You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 0044 7543 122 330. Why not pose a running question to Irish Olympic Legend Sonia O'Sullivan or ask our America Correspondent Marion McKeone her thoughts on a current talking point Stateside? Of course, if you have an issue with traffic or elephants on the loose in your area, Jarlath can do his best to sort that out too. Our charity partner is jigsawonline.ie. In these tricky times, Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for your people to help them strengthen their mental health and the skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation. For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on [e-mail]. Disclaimer: All materials contained within this podcast are copyright protected. Third party reuse and/or quotation in whole or in part is prohibited unless direct credit and/or hyperlink to the Irishman Abroad podcast is clearly and accurately provided.