An exhibition created by Libraries NI to celebrate sporting excellence in Northern Ireland will be on display in Shantallow Library (Racecourse Road) during the month of January.
Entitled ‘All Our Saturdays, the exhibition’ is one of the outstanding projects granted the London 2012 Inspire mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 Games.
The display features a range of home grown sporting talent as seen through the eyes of Ireland’s Saturday Night; Northern Ireland’s bestselling sports newspaper which ceased publication in July 2008. It offers a rare opportunity to see how sport in Northern Ireland has evolved throughout the last 12 decades and it will also bring a touch of nostalgia to those who queued every Saturday evening to secure a copy of the paper.
To compliment this exhibition and to recognise local talent, Shantallow Library has also on view photographs of local runners, footballers, boxers and sporting personalities. It will bring a touch of nostalgia to those who have watched Derry City in the Brandywell and may be identifiable in the crowd, or ran for City of Derry Harriers. For those who wish to browse the sporting pages of local newspapers over the last twenty years, there will be a selection of newspapers available.
Lord Sebastian Coe who launched the exhibition, almost a year ago, said:
“All Our Saturdays is one of many innovative and creative London 2012 Inspire Cultural Olympiad projects being run across the country in the run-up to the upcoming London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This and other similar projects will demonstrate that the benefits of the Games can be shared across the whole country and will help to deliver the Games’ lasting legacy. I hope that many enjoy the exhibition and will be inspired to participate in the associated events and activities organised by Libraries NI.”
Malcolm Brodie, Former Sports Editor of the Belfast Telegraph, added:
“Libraries NI has not only managed to create a showcase of local sporting talent but their exhibition also illustrates how the paper itself evolved throughout its existence. The bible for sports lovers, it possessed something for every member of the household. Purchasing it each Saturday became a tradition passed down from family to family. This exhibition and its associated events and activities will ensure that the memory of one of Europe’s finest sporting newspapers will never die.”
All Our Saturdays has been touring round selected libraries in Northern Ireland. The exhibition is being used to stimulate a range of activities. Much of this has tied into schools and the development of sports journalism and sports writing, education packs, inter-generational learning and reminiscence work.
You can contact Shantallow Library (92 Racecourse Road), telephone 028 7135 4185 or email
Shantallow.Library@librariesni.org.uk
For a full listing of locations and events being held to support the All Our Saturdays project, visit www.librariesni.org.uk
