It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Louis le Brocquy just over a week ago. Le Brocquy has achieved so much and influenced so many in his 95 years. A contemporary and friend of artists and writers such as Samuel Beckett and Francis Bacon, he was the first and only Irish painter to be included in the Permanent Irish Collection of the National Gallery of Ireland during his lifetime. In recent years many of his early works have begun to attract international attention, making him one of a small number of Irish and British artists whose works have earned over £1 million in the international marketplace. His most well-known works, for many Irish people, are his portraits of Irish figures such as Beckett, Yeats, Heaney, Joyce, and Francis Bacon.

President Michael D. Higgins said of this loss,  ”Today I lament the loss of a great artist and wonderful human being whose works are amongst this country’s most valuable cultural assets and are cherished by us all. Louis leaves to humanity a truly great legacy.”

In honour of this great man, and to celebrate the rich traditions and unique innovations in Irish art, we thought we’d highlight some of our collection of Irish art books.

Opening hours Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10.30am-6pm, and Sun 1.30pm-5pm.

With April coming to a close, we’ve been thinking about some of the great poets born this month: from John Wilmot, William Wordsworth and Robert Browning, to Tristan Tzara, former Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis, and the late great Gil Scott-Heron.

Fitting then, that we’ve just received a fantastic new selection of contemporary poetry in store!

Pop in and discover your new favourite poet this week- open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10.30am-6pm, and Sun 1.30pm-5pm.

Our half price music sale may be coming to an end on Friday, but to celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday we’ll have a whole new selection of vinyl in store. Ranging from the classic sounds of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Ray Charles..to the Eighties hits of Soft Cell and The Beat, to, well, The Muppets!

You can find out what celebrations are going on in Dublin record stores that day here and here. So if you’re in town for any of these events, why not pop in and check out our selection?

Weekend opening hours: Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10.30am-6pm, and Sunday 1.30pm-5pm.

That’s 50% off all of our music, including all vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and even our music books until next Friday.

There are plenty of bargains to be had so pop in and have a look!

Open as usual, Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10.30am-6pm and Sun 1.30pm-5pm.

If you’re about town looking for something to entertain the kids this midterm, pop into our Parliament Street branch where we have a great children’s section. We have a wide range of childrens’s book from picturebooks for toddlers, to storybooks for beginner and early readers, right up to the ever-expanding genre of teen literature. Fact or fiction, silly or serious,  we’ve got something for everyone, with prices as low as €1.00!

Also in this section we have a selection of children’s DVDs and the occasional vintage book, so make sure you come and take a look! This week we will be closed on Friday and Sunday, but will be open as usual on Monday-Thursday 10am-6pm, and Saturday 10.30am-6pm.

Happy Easter from all of us at Oxfambooks!