Bookworm

Bookworm Bookshop was an independent bookshop known for its extensive collection of titles on Irish history, Irish politics, feminism, gay literature, children’s books, personal growth, and human development.

Over time, it moved from 12 Orchard Street to 16 Bishop Street, losing some of its radical credentials but remaining an important community hub.

The bookshop was known for its stock of 15,000 titles and provided information on local events and bookstalls.

Founded by Peter MacKenzie and Mary Kay Mullan in 1978, the bookshop served as a radical social centre in its early years, inspiring many with its focus on anarchism and class struggle.

In 2012, Peter MacKenzie was declared bankrupt, and the contents of the shop, about 100,000 books, were seized and dumped into a skip outside the shop.

Hundreds of locals came to collect the books, taking home what they could from the life’s work of the bookseller.

Despite its closure, the legacy of Bookworm lives on through the memories of its community and its impact on local political and social thought.

Sources:
The Radical Bookseller, No. 67, 1990

The Radical Bookseller, Issue 75, 1991
The Guardian
Indymedia Ireland
Belfast Telegraph