LETTERKENNY, Friday 19 June 2026 — The Rotary Club of Letterkenny has brought the Rotary Books4Home reading scheme to Donegal for the first time, with Magherabeg National School near Manorcunningham chosen as the pilot.
Under the pilot, pupils choose library books to take home to read — an idea designed to put books into the hands of children who may have few of their own. The scheme was offered to the school earlier this year by club member Mary, with club President Wendy McGarvey and fellow Rotarian Rob delivering the first books to the school in person.
How the Books4Home pilot works
Books4Home is a Rotary literacy initiative that gives children pre-loved books to read at home and keep. Rather than staying in the classroom, the books travel home with the pupils, encouraging reading beyond the school day and helping to build a reading habit that families can share.
Reading on the rise at Magherabeg
The timing suited Magherabeg, which has run a Read for Fun programme for the past year. Every morning, pupils spend the first 20 minutes of the day choosing a book, reading together and buddy reading, before their teacher reads them a story.
Staff say the habit has visibly taken hold. More children now arrive at school with a book under their arm, and some spend break time reading on the school’s buddy benches rather than running around the yard.
In a short video message, the school’s principal described what the partnership has meant.
“We’ve noticed an increase in the number of children reading, and the number coming to school with a book under their arm. Even at break time, you’ll see them sitting on the buddy benches having a read instead of running around. We feel very fortunate that Rotary contacted us to take part in the pilot — it’s a great opportunity to build partnerships within the community.”
Barry Meehan, Principal, Magherabeg National School
“Every child deserves the chance to fall in love with reading, and that starts with having a book of their own to take home. When Mary brought the idea to us, we knew straight away it was something our club could get behind. Seeing the children’s faces light up when they picked their books — that’s what Rotary is all about.”
Wendy McGarvey, President, Rotary Club of Letterkenny
A literacy scheme with global roots
Books4Home began within Rotary in Britain in 2014 and has since handed out tens of thousands of children’s books to young readers. It draws on research from the National Literacy Trust, which found that around 1 in 11 children from disadvantaged backgrounds do not own a book at home, and that children who own books are far more likely to read above their age level.
For the Rotary Club of Letterkenny, the pilot is the latest chapter in a long tradition of community work. Rotary has been active in Ireland for 115 years, and today, 65 clubs across the only Rotary district that spans the whole island of Ireland run service projects from food appeals to youth leadership.
Get involved
If the Magherabeg pilot proves a success, the club hopes to extend Books4Home to other schools in the area. Schools, businesses and would-be volunteers interested in supporting the scheme can reach the club through the Rotary Ireland club directory.
To find out more about joining Rotary or partnering on a local project, visit our membership enquiry page — and watch this space as the first Donegal pilot grows.