Our City Our Books wanted to highlight all the amazing workers of Dublin - the makers and doers who kept us and our families safe and well these last few months.

We're starting a special series of Featured Readers to hear from all those who gave a helping hand. We’re going to meet as many Dublin doers as we can to hear all about their favourite books.

Dublin is a city of doers

Dublin is a city of communities. Whether it’s through your neighbourhood, your workplace, your school, your local park, your favourite coffee shop, or by the streets themselves - we’re all connected.

We discovered that this year as we were all plunged into the uncertainty that Covid-19 brought. We learned about our communities, and witnessed examples of people pulling together to help one another, in ways big and small, over and over again.

We’re grateful to know all those who were working hard to keep us safe and well - the paramedics, the nurses, the doctors, the gardai, the teachers, and the vets. The babies kept coming so the midwives kept seeing them safely into this mad new world and the teachers and creche staff were there to let our children know they could still feel safe. The cleaning teams, the receptionists and the administrative staff who made sure if we got ill we would be safe when we went for help - the list goes on….

Wasn’t it Joni Mitchell who said something about ‘not knowing what you’ve got till it’s gone’? Well when our libraries, bookshops and cafés closed we knew what we’d lost and valued them all the more. The artists, the writers and the journalists never stopped either. The newspapers, radio, TV and podcasts kept coming.

And then there were others who put themselves at risk to make sure we had all the comforts we needed. Like the workers in your local shop or supermarket, the baker, the Deliveroo riders, the post person, the people who kept public transport going, the refuse collectors, and the park rangers.

So we’re looking forward to meeting some of the Dublin doers, those who shape the city, to hear about the books that have shaped them.

To start the series, we meet paramedic Clare Fitzgerald to hear about how she keeps a thriller over the visor when she’s on the job, and her favourite libraries to visit.

Do you know someone you’d like to see featured?

If someone in your neighbourhood gave a helping hand, lended an ear, or helped raise a smile - let us know, we’d love them to be a Featured Reader.

Get in touch with us via hello@ourcityourbooks.ie

Bernadette Larkin

Our City Our Books Project Manager