Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland
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Egan's Bar & Bookstore has been closed for many years
new listing Banner Books Ennistymon
new listing Banner Books Kilrush
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Banner Books/ENNISTYMON/3 The Square
Banner Books
3 The Square ENNISTYMON V15 D300
tel:
065 707 1372 e-mail web 
Open: Monday - Saturday 9.30 - 6.00, Sunday 10.00 - 5.00
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Second-hand and new books, with some interesting stock.
Banner Books opened here in Ennistymon, in the north of Co. Clare, in 2019. The name is derived from Clare's nickname: 'the banner county'. It soon proved a success, leading to the opening of another shop, 27 miles to the south in the coastal town of Kilrush. Both sell new and second-hand books: here at Ennistymon, the stock is fairly evenly divided. The owner, Sally, explained: "I had planned for it to be mainly a second-hand bookshop, but the local customers seemed to want a lot of new books, and so there's roughly a half-and-half mix."
The shop has a large stock of second-hand fiction; books by Irish authors feature prominently. The non-fiction is also of good quality, with history, Irish interest, travel and nature among the larger sections. There is a small amount of antiquarian stock and also some books in the Irish language.
For such a small town (the population is under 1,200), Ennistymon is fortunate to have two good bookshops (the other is the Salmon Bookshop, also featured on TBG) and an annual book festival each summer. The town is on the N67 road, which links it to Galway and also Kilrush, as well as the N85 to Ennis. The nearest railway station is at Ennis, about 17 miles to the south-east. Three bus routes (331, 333 and 350) connect Ennistymon to Ennis. The most frequent of these, the 350, also serves Galway. The 331 goes on to Ballyvaughan (also served by the 350) and the 333 provides a link to Kilkee. Booker T 03.08.25
Banner Books/KILRUSH/1A Hector Street Mills, Frances Street
Banner Books
1A Hector Street Mills, Frances Street KILRUSH V15 PW83
tel:
065 908 0745 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 6.00, Sunday 11.00 - 5.00
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Quite a large and varied selection of second-hand books. Also sells new books.
The Kilrush branch of Banner Books opened in 2022, after trade at the first shop, in Ennistymon, proved sufficiently brisk to warrant a second one. The two shops are of similar size. Here at Kilrush, in the south-west of Co. Clare, the proportion of second-hand to new is roughly equal for the non-fiction. But for fiction, second-hand books account for about two-thirds of the total. There is a good choice of novels, predominantly in paperback. Works by Irish writers feature quite strongly, but demand for these - and also Irish-language books - is high, and so they tend not to stay on the shelves for long. The non-fiction is very varied, but books on all aspects of Ireland and its history are a mainstay of the stock. The small selection of vintage and antiquarian books fluctuates in size according to what has recently been purchased.
Kilrush is a small coastal town on the Shannon estuary. The N67 road connects it with Ennistymon and Galway, and the N68 with Ennis. The nearest railway station is at Ennis (on the Limerick-Galway line), 25 miles away, to which Kilrush is linked by the 336 and 337 bus routes and, on Monday-Friday, the 335. Kilrush also has bus links with Kilkee (336, 339 and 335; the last of these does not run at weekends). Banner Books is on the edge of the town centre, just off the roundabout leading down to Kilrush marina. Booker T 03.08.25
Doolin Dinghy/DOOLIN/Fisherstreet
Doolin Dinghy
Fisherstreet DOOLIN V95 PX90
e-mail web
Open: Monday - Saturday (March to November), December - February ring ahead.
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A good stock of out of print and unusual books, specialising in Irish interest, English and American literature, travel, children's, biographies etc. Also a stall of classic and modern paperbacks for the backpacker, paper memorabilia and postcards for ephemera collectors.
An admirable idea. Places like Doolin need shops like this- but please reduce the stock by half so a visitor can actually see what is on offer. I was frustrated because I suspect that I missed books I would have purchased if I could have seen/reached them. Loyola 13.04.17
Tired stock and ambitiously priced. loyola 28.10.24
Salmon Bookshop and Literary Centre/ENNISTYMON/Main Street
The Salmon Bookshop and Literary Centre
Main Street
ENNISTYMON
V95 XD35
tel:
+353 (0)85 2318909
e-mail
web
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30, Sunday 2.00 - 6.00
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Second-hand and new books. Wide range. Strong for literature, especially poetry, and Irish interest.
A lovely, well presented shop in a charming market town . Strong on Irish subject areas, particularly fiction. Very fairly priced save for some of the "collectables" which are a bit Cecil Court . I always find a couple of gems. Loyola 13.04.17
The shop has now moved to the main street. Good books at reasonable prices. loyola 28.10.24
Scéal Eile Books/ENNIS/16 Lower Market Street
Scéal Eile Books
16 Lower Market Street ENNIS V95 H227
tel:
+353 (0)656848648 e-mail
Open: Monday - Friday 11.00 - 6.00, Saturday 10.00 - 6.00
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We have an eclectic stock of second-hand, antiquarian and some new and remaindered books, both English and Irish language.
A pleasant secondhand bookshop but nothing for the collector. Loyola 14.02.15
New and secondhand books in a small but pleasant shop. Wide selection of Irish titles particularly biographies. Prices on the high side. Chris Harte 09.11.15
The second hand stock is largely fiction. But do combine it with a visit to the Salmon Book shop. They are less than one hundred yards apart loyola 28.10.24
