Book stores at the heart of the community

Five independent bookstores in Cork are to receive funding as part of an initiative supporting community engagement.

The announcement was made by Galway-based indie bookstore, Books at One, whose Community Prize Fund initiative is now in its second year.

Overall, 23 independently run bookstores across 14 counties were chosen as recipients to share in an overall fund of €100k.

The five Cork stores chosen are Antiquity Bookstore, Skibbereen; Bantry Books, Bantry; Leaf and Bower, Ballincollig; Prim’s, Kinsale and Worm Books, Schull.

Each selected store will receive a grant of up to €5,000 in support of developing new and engaging activities for the benefit of their local community.

Among the entries and successful applicants are recently opened stores as well as those who also received funding in 2025, allowing them to expand and grow on last year’s activity, or embark on a new creative venture.

Eoghan Stack, chairperson of The One Foundation, said: “The power of a good indie bookshop is not just about what’s on the shelves alone but about those who work there and those who visit on the regular, making it an important fixture of communities. We’re delighted to see both the initiative and the ideas within the applications grow and look forward to seeing how these are brought to life by the communities that shape them.”

The fund was created in 2025 with an aim to further strengthen the importance of independent bookstores as creative venues for community engagement and connection across the country.