BOOKS IN THE BLOOD

This video tells the story of Des and Maureen Kenny, two young Irish university graduates, who in 1940 established a small bookshop in Galway, which has today become one of the most famous and beautiful bookstores in the world. Interviews with the Kenny children relate how their parents' dream was sustained and nurtured through considerable adversity, expanded to include an Art Gallery, and in the years since has played an influential role in Ireland's literary and artistic landscape. In tracing the history of how Kennys Bookshop and Art Gallery has today grown into a multifaceted, international business, we also meet the members of this extended family who share a genuine closeness through their mutual love of books and art.

Directed by Donal R. Haughey
1999, 52 minutes
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125

"For those afflicted with what's known as the 'gentle madness of bibliomania,' it will provide a fascinating insight into the workings of a literary institution and the ethos of a most extraordinary family."-Film West

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