Standard of Irish writing 'higher than it’s ever been': Why books will outlive us all

Despite predictions of their imminent demise, many humble bookshops are learning to survive and thrive, writes Colin Sheridan 

Noreen Collins, bookshop manager, Charlie Byrne, owner, and Vinnie Browne, chief book buyer and events manager at Charlie Byrne's bookshop in Galway city centre. Picture: Colin Sheridan

I CAN happily sit in bookshops for hours. Many people say this, I know that, but I cannot attest to their motives. I know only my own, and they are multitudinous; Aspirational escapism. Intellectual hubris. A surrender to silence. Flagrant voyeurism.

Sometimes you plan to go there with a specific novel in mind. Other times, you accidentally wander in, as if slipping into a portal to a parallel universe. An alternative space on a busy city street.