A BRAND new bookshop is a welcome addition to Castletownbere, after opening last week.
Polly’s Bookshop, which is owned by Dutch woman Paulien Schreuder, will sell new and second-hand books, postcards and gifts.
Paulien lived in Ireland before, in Coolea, where she and her husband ran Tír na Meala summer school and accommodation for 10 years.
They went back to Holland but were homesick for Ireland, and in 2017 bought a ruin in Adrigole which needed plenty of renovation.
The house was finished in 2023, and last year the couple came back to Ireland, and as Paulien is retired she finally had the chance to do what she wanted to for several years; open a small bookshop.
‘This is a dream come true, I love books but I like people even better and in a shop you can talk to people about books,’ said Paulien, who added that the choice of a shop in Castletownbere was obvious as there are already bookshops in nearby Bantry and Kenmare.
Polly’s Bookshop will be open four days a week, from Wednesday until Saturday.
