Irish integration award for Clare Library

CLARE Library has been honoured for its innovation in the integration of the Irish language in its services as it received the 2009 Gradam Gaeilge an Chláir award.
At an awards ceremony in the De Valera library on Monday evening, Seán Ó Ceallaigh, ­Cathaoirleach of An Clár as Gaeilge Teo, the ­language promotion group who organise the award scheme,
presented County Librarian Helen Walsh with a specially commissioned plaque.
The scheme, now in its fifth year, is specifically directed at companies and organisations in the commercial and public sector that promote the use of Irish both internally and externally.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Ó Ceallaigh said that he was delighted to present the award to Clare Library Services in recognition of the innovative way the service had approached the integration of Irish in its operation.
He made specific reference to the wide range of Irish language books that were easily available in every branch library and the highly acclaimed website which is fully bilingual and offers comprehensive information on all aspects of the service, including the extraordinary archive section and the developments in staff training to provide a service in Irish in every branch library.
Accepting the award on behalf of Clare Library Services, Ms Walsh said that she was honoured that the service had been selected for the award.
She said that the work that is already in place would be built on to improve the level of service in Irish to the public.
She paid tribute to the library staff throughout the county for their commitment to the process and said that the important place of Irish in the service would be developed further.
A special award was made to Noel Crowley, recently retired county librarian, in recognition of the work he did in instigating many of the initiatives that had led to the winning of this award.
He was presented with a bronze statue of Mochúa – Keeper of the Scrolls, the ancient Irish scribe and archivist who was in charge of transcribing old manuscripts.