Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops in the UK and Republic of Ireland
News:
new listing P Commane Bookshop Tralee
new listing Dungeon Bookshop Killarney
new listing Sneem Book Shop
new listing Action Lesotho Bookshop Tralee
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Action Lesotho Bookshop/TRALEE/Tralee Shopping Centre, The Mall/Bridge Street
Action Lesotho Bookshop
Tralee Shopping Centre, The Mall/Bridge Street TRALEE
tel:
086 284 3498 e-mail web 
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.30
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Charity bookshop with wide range of stock.
Action Lesotho is a Tralee-based voluntary organisation that works to relieve poverty in the southern African country, feeding malnourished children, supporting families living with AIDS and training people for employment. It has three shops in Tralee Shopping Centre - the Action Lesotho Bookshop, a second-hand music shop and a general charity store - which between them raised €140,000 annually in 2024 for its work in Lesotho.
The Action Lesotho Bookshop was set up about 15 years ago. It occupies quite a large unit and has a very creditable stock of second-hand books, which it sells at affordable prices. In addition to a large stock of fiction, ranging from mass-market paperbacks to literary and classic novels, as well as plenty of crime fiction, there is a good selection in many non-fiction subjects, including travel, Irish history and local interest. There are also books in the Irish language, which tend to sell very quickly. Action Lesotho's founder, Paul Hanrahan, told me that the residents of Tralee and the surrounding area are very supportive of its work, and as a result its shops get plenty of good-quality donations.
The shop is right in the centre of Tralee, a five-minute walk from the bus and railway stations. Tralee (Casement) station has regular trains from Mallow and Killarney. The town has good bus links, including services to Limerick (routes 13 and 300), Cork (40), Dublin (300), Killarney (279) and Dingle (275). Booker T 07.05.25
Commane Bookshop/TRALEE/83 Rock Street, Balloonagh
Commane Bookshop
83 Rock Street, Balloonagh TRALEE
tel:
086 829 6583 e-mail web
Open: Monday - Friday 10.00 - 4.30, Saturday 10.00 - 4.00
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Extensive stock of second-hand books, including rare titles, first editions and antiquarian. Also vintage periodicals, magazines and comics. Books on Irish history and culture feature prominently, along with a good range of fiction.
A traditional bookshop very much of the old school, absolutely crammed with books, on one of the main shopping streets in Tralee town centre. The owner seeks out unusual and quirky stock. Booker T 10.05.24
Dungeon Bookshop/KILLARNEY/99 College Street
Dungeon Bookshop
99 College Street KILLARNEY
tel:
064 663 6536 e-mail
Open: Monday - Friday 9.00 - 7.30
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Bookstore and stationer, with a large stock of new and second-hand books.
Sneem Book Shop/SNEEM/South Square
Sneem Book Shop
South Square SNEEM
tel:
087 256 3858 e-mail
Open: Monday - Saturday 10.00 - 5.00
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Good-quality stock of second-hand books, including vintage and antiquarian; very strong on Irish interest. Also new books, as well as paintings by local artists, and locally made knitted goods, candles and crafts.
This shop, which opened in December 2021, has been getting some favourable media attention, partly because it has quickly become a much-valued base for community activities but also because of the quality of its books. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable owner, Úna, told me that the number of second-hand books in the shop exceeds 1,000; she almost always has more in storage to swiftly replace those sold. Irish history, the environment and natural history, religion and church history, and books on the local area are the main non-fiction specialities. For fiction, there is a good selection by Irish novelists, both renowned and less well-known, as well as some older volumes of Irish poetry. There is a substantial vintage and antiquarian stock. Also some Irish-language books. Business is brisk in the summer months, as the village of Sneem, on the Iveragh peninsula, is part of the Ring of Kerry tourist circuit and very picturesque, and hence attracts a large number of visitors. The premises are wheelchair-accessible. Cash and cards accepted. Booker T 27.07.24
