Irish Arts Center Giving Away Free Books In Five Boroughs
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - In the early and mid-1800s, the Irish and Chinese lived side-by-side in the rough and tumble Five Points. Today, there is a coming together for two cultures that might still seem foreign to one another.
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In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, the Irish Arts Center is giving away 10,000 books by Irish authors in all five boroughs today.
On Canal Street, two of those books have been translated into Chinese.
"At this location, we have Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn. We have Joseph O'Neill, Netherlands. We have Yvonne Cassidy, and we have Pete Hamill. Peter Hamill - a New Yorker, Irish-American New Yorker," said Rachel Gilkey, director of education at the Irish Arts Center.
The curious swarmed the table, and eagerly grabbed copies.
Few spoke English.
"It's good," said Belinda Lan from Beijing. "Thank you."
The book giveaway started at 7:30 a.m. and runs until the books are gone at these locations.
1. Queens #1: Jackson Heights Post Office, 78-02 37th Avenue at 78th Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Down the street from Roosevelt Avenue station.
2. Queens #2: Southeast corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 61st Street at Woodside / 61st Street stop on the 7 train.
3. Brooklyn #1: Northeast corner of 7th Ave and 9th Street F train station.
4. Brooklyn #2: Northeast corner of Havemeyer St. and Broadway at the Marcy Avenue J train station(please note: from 7:30am to 10:30am during rush hour)
5. The Bronx: Parkchester 6 Subway station, 177th Street, Bronx, NY
6. Manhattan #1: Southwest corner of Canal Street and Centre Street, at the J, Z, N, Q train station entrance on Centre.
7. Manhattan #2: 72nd and Broadway at 1 train station.
8. Staten Island: St. George Terminal Staten Island, 1 Bay Street, Staten Island, NY 10301
LINK: Irish Arts Center (Official Site)
What's your favorite Irish book or book by an Irish author? Let us know in the comments section below!
