Wednesday 17 October 2018

This week Rebel Reads, the new community bookshop in Cork City, announced that they are moving out of their current location on Fr Mathew Quay and are now in search for new premises. Rebel Reads opened up last July after being able to take over the shop at 14 Fr Mathew Quay from the Together for Yes Campaign. However, it became apparent that this would only be a short-term arrangement, and the committee is now on the lookout for a new commercial rental property.

Over the past three months, apart from operating as a bookshop, Rebel Reads has also facilitated a large number of events. These have included fundraisers, workshops, film screenings, live music, meditation groups, talks and the return of the popular Veg Out food event. Countless people have passed through the shop this summer, showing that there is a real need for a space like this in Cork.

With property prices rising in the city, Cork has seen various community organisations disappear over the last couple of years, including the Cork Community Print Shop and Camden Palace. To minimise the risk of something similar happening to Rebel Reads, the committee has taken a new approach from the beginning. They set themselves up as a membership-driven organisation and now have well over 100 members contributing to Rebel Reads’ financial sustainability.

Members who would like to support the activities and ethos of Rebel Reads join up and contribute by donating €5 euros per month. Declan Synnott, from the Rebel Reads organisational committee, has stated that ‘’the support received from the community and our members has been fantastic, and we welcome more people to join our organisation’’.

The committee is now urgently looking to rent another retail property in, or close to, Cork city centre. Ideally, this property would cover at least 100 m2 (1076 ft2), divided over a retail space and a meeting space or backroom.

For more information, to join up as a member, or to get in touch regarding a possible rental property, please visit www.rebelreads.ie.


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