Celebrating the best of Irish children’s books on Culture Night

On Culture Night, Friday 19th September, Laureate na nÓg and Children’s Books Ireland hosted an evening of live-storytelling in the window of Dubray Books on Grafton Street from 5-7pm. 

Despite the September rain, moods were brights as together with some of of Ireland’s finest authors and illustrators, Laureate na nÓg Patricia Forde brought the best of Irish children’s books to life with live readings and lots of fun in the window of Dubray bookshop. 

On the night attendees heard from Dagogo Hart, Dave Rudden, Jamie Carroll, Leona Forde, Neil Sharpson, Pádraig Kenny, Sadhbh Devlin, Sarah Bowie, Sinead O'Hart and Paddy Donnelly! Families also paid a visit to the free Book Clinics, running in English and as Gaeilge in store. Tucked within the children’s books section of the first floor, children and young people visited our expert Book Doctors and received their very own prescription for recommended reading. 

On the night, culture night attendees also picked up their very own copy of our annual reading guide The Best Irish Books of 2025. This brand-new guide is a treasure trove of all Irish born and Irish-based artists as published in 2025 and is sure to delight young readers as well as support their adults to help choose the best books, as recommended by the experts ... that's us! 

This was an unforgettable evening, celebrating what we do best as a nation!