Solidarity Books @ Cork

Solidarity Books is a new bookstore on Douglas Street in Cork.  Directions with a google map are here. It is an initiative by Cork anarchists to provide a bookstore in the heart of Cork – a place where you will be able to get those many and varied publications that the ‘corporates’ like Waterstones won’t stock.  In terms of books alone, the shop is a very welcome addition to the scene in Cork – which, to not put too fine a point on it, is diabolical.  Sure you can pick up the odd book on Chomsky and that’s not a bad place to start but if you are looking for anything else around town… forget it.

At one time there was two or three left leaning bookstores in Cork.  When I was growing up there was a great shop over on South Main Street which had a wide range of radical books.  You could get all the cheap editions of Marx’s works as well as a range of generally critical publications.  I got my treasured copy of ‘Ireland and the First International‘ there – although I recall being very disappointed to read in same that the Cork branch of the International Workers Association has sided with Marx rather than Bakunin on the crucial issue of how the International should be organised!  Well, let’s face it, that wouldn’t happen today.  Anyway there was a few shops in the past and the range of books was, while not huge, it was varied.

So very nice to see  new shoots of life springing up.   At the shop there’s a section on anarchist/ libertarian and socialist books.  There is a very good  current affairs and Irish politics section and there is a second-hand book section.  Expansion in the range is planned, of course, in time.  For the moment though, small steps.  Also you can get many of main left papers there and so th shop provides those groups with a very valuable outlet for their publications.  Great stuff.

One other aspect of the venue is that it also doubles as a meeting place.  It’s a roomy space with great light and the aim is to provide an affordable meeting venue for organisations and groups.  So far Shell 2 Sea, Hands Off The People Of Iran and the WSM are meeting there, but they hope to expand on this – space permitting – in time.   Other events and meetings are intended for the new venue.  So far meetings on the Haiti crisis and a political film night have been ongoing.   Best place to find out about what’s upcoming is to check Facebook

Email contact for the shop is solidaritybooks@gmail.com

Opening times are: 12-7 pm (Mon to Saturday).