Mayo sporting legend lines out to support new book for International Literacy Day

A new book featuring stories from the lives of 15 of Ireland’s great sport stars, including Mayo's Cora Staunton, is being launched today (Thursday) to celebrate International Literacy Day.

Entitled LEGENDS, the book includes stories from Gavin Bazunu, Ronnie Delany, Keith Earls, A.P. McCoy, Barry McGuigan, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy, Paul O'Connell, Bonnar Ó Loingsigh, Sonia O'Sullivan, Niall Quinn, Henry Shefflin, Rosemary Smith and Katie Taylor in addition to Cora.

Thousands of copies of the book will be provided for free to adults who are attending courses to improve their reading and writing skills. The stories in LEGENDS are edited in plain English to support anyone who isn’t confident about reading and for some, it may be the first book they read. Currently there are 40,000 adults attending literacy courses nationwide.

LEGENDS was developed by the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), Patricia Scanlan and New Island to encourage new and emerging readers who are enthusiastic and passionate about sport to ‘have a go’ at reading a book. Literacy issues impact people from all walks of life and NALA is currently working with sporting bodies to help reduce the stigma of having literacy needs and raise awareness of free services and courses nationwide. Thousands of copies of LEGENDS will also be available to borrow from all libraries in Ireland.

“Reading might be one of life’s great pleasures but for many it can feel like a daunting task. That’s why on International Literacy Day, we are launching LEGENDS – a new, easy-to-read non-fiction book for anyone who hasn’t read a book in a long time.

“Many people are interested in sport and whether played on a pitch or enjoyed from the sidelines, it is a very important part of their lives. We know that we learn best when what we are learning reflects our interests, so we hope this book will give people the confidence to start reading and if they need any support we have lots of free options,” said NALA CEO, Colleen Dube.

LEGENDS is being launched at a celebratory event for International Literacy Day at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin that includes talks from Patricia Scanlan, editor of LEGENDS, featured sports stars and adult learners.

Said Patricia: “I am delighted to be involved in and editor of the first Open Door series non-fiction book LEGENDS. From my work in libraries years ago, I know there is a need for easy-to-read interesting books for adults returning to learning. For our first non-fiction book, we chose the theme of sport and were delighted to get the support of 15 of Ireland’s greatest sports stars. We hope the book will attract new emerging readers, in particular men, and will promote and encourage reading.”

LEGENDS is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development, and the Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

Since 1967, International Literacy Day has been celebrated around the world to remind the public of the importance of literacy as a human right.