Abbeyleix Library Adult Book Club

Abbeyleix Library’s Adult Book Club meets on the last Thursday evening of every month, giving readers in the town a standing monthly slot to discuss a chosen title. The next meeting falls on 27 August 2026. It runs separately from the library’s Jane Austen Book Club, which meets on the third Thursday of the month, so Abbeyleix readers effectively get two evening discussion groups a month rather than one.

What to expect

Each meeting works through a book chosen in advance, giving members time to read it before the evening’s discussion. Sessions are led informally by library staff rather than run as a lecture, with the emphasis on members talking through what they made of the plot, characters and themes rather than any formal presentation. Copies of the chosen title are generally available to borrow from the library ahead of each meeting, which makes it straightforward to join partway through the year without having bought the book in advance. The evening slot, after the working day rather than during it, is deliberately different from the library’s daytime clubs, giving people who work through the day a realistic way to take part. It sits within a broad reading programme at Abbeyleix Library that spans age groups, from children’s storytime through to two distinct adult book clubs, reflecting how much of the library’s community role now runs through recurring discussion groups rather than one-off events.

Getting there

Abbeyleix Library is on Main Street in the town centre, close to Market Square and within easy walking distance of parking on the main street.

While you’re in Abbeyleix

Abbeyleix’s Georgian streetscape and heritage bog gardens are both a short stroll from the library. There is more to see in Abbeyleix and across Co. Laois.

Good to know

• Date: last Thursday of the month, next 27 August 2026
• Time: 6:30pm
• Venue: Abbeyleix Library, Main Street, Abbeyleix, Co. Laois
• Price: free, new members welcome
• Contact: 057 8730020 or abbeyleixlibrary@laoiscoco.ie