Blarney Books & Art
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joblarney.bsky.social
Blarney Books & Art
@joblarney.bsky.social
1.8K followers 800 following 610 posts
Hi - I’m Jo. I opened this bookshop in the tiny tourist town Port Fairy (Australia) over 20 years ago (2004). We also facilitate the annual PF Literary Weekend. ‘Notes from a Smalltown Bookshop’ over on Substack.
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joblarney.bsky.social
The first book out the bookshop door today was Talking Sideways: Stories and Conversations from Finniss Springs by Reg Dodd and Malcolm McKinnon. #bookthreads
July 24, 2025 at 2:44 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
The first book to leave our little bookshop on this mild winter’s day is …

The Pearl Prize 2025: An Anthology of Queer Writing from Across Australia 🌈
July 16, 2025 at 3:16 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
The first book out the bookshop door on this sunny - yes, sunny - morning was a signed copy of …
A Clear Flowing Yarra by Harry Saddler. #bookshop
July 15, 2025 at 4:47 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Sparkly and extra crispy morning by the sea today! We’ve got a busy U3A day in the bookshop today…
June 13, 2025 at 12:36 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Icy May morning... 🥶
May 19, 2025 at 9:42 PM
joblarney.bsky.social
Easter holidays are just about upon us - but today the bookshop is so quiet … we’re open all weekend! #portfairy
A wonderful colourful bookshop interior, with not one browsing person.
April 17, 2025 at 3:46 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Doing the catwalk! The neighbour’s cat, Martini, enjoying a stretch in the sunshine.
A striped cat with a red leash walks proudly along the brick wall outside our bookshop.
April 12, 2025 at 2:09 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
High tide at dusk, with dog and footprints. Port Fairy.
A sepia-toned photograph of a beach at high tide. The light glimmers on the water. There’s a black row of trees and hedges between water and sky. A dog walks away from the camera, its shadow long. Near the water are footprints from the day’s many walkers.
April 7, 2025 at 10:19 PM
joblarney.bsky.social
Attempting lift-off over at Substack with my Notes from a Smalltown Bookseller. Are we all too inundated? It’s not AI, if that helps …
March 29, 2025 at 6:23 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Two kelpies in the windows of Blarney in support of indie campaigner for the Wannon electorate, Alex Dyson. Meanwhile, Dan and the libs are spending a fortune on trying to discredit Alex with not one but two separate pieces of junk mail today. #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Exterior photo of our bookshop under a very blue sky, featuring two orange kelpie silhouettes in the front two windows, between our two garden bookstacks. Two pieces of junk mail with nothing that means anything on them.
March 24, 2025 at 4:39 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Local ceramic artist Heather Davitt dropped in some of her gorgeous handmade bird-themed (and one blue tongue lizard) ocarina whistles for us to display and sell. #diaryofasmalltownbookandartseller
Two barking owls, one gang gang, a gallah and a blue-tongue lizard, all handmade ceramics, are displayed on little wooden plinths. They are also all working ocarina whistles.
March 21, 2025 at 4:27 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Ballarat author Robert Smith just dropped in with his latest crime fiction - set in Port Fairy - called Shark Bait! 🦈 #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
Author Robert Smith holding his latest book, Shark Bait, in our bookshop, surrounded by books and near our leaning bookstack installation.
March 17, 2025 at 1:57 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
A local parent came with clues for a scavenger hunt for their teenager's birthday party ... which is, I have to say, one of the cutest things ever! #diaryofabirthdaybookseller
A birthday clue card, covered in balloons and stars. Party-goers made short work of this scavenger hunt, and found them quickly (without too much of a nudge from the bookseller).
March 14, 2025 at 5:47 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Two U3A classes in our bookshop - First Australians with the informed & passionate Ted Donelan; and Historical Fiction with equally informed & passionate Kate Donelan. Lots of interest in both classes and the first book for the year is Emily Maguire’s Rapture! #diaryofalocalbookseller
Lovely U3A class seated and listening to teacher Kate Donelan, in our bookshop space. Surrounded by colour, books and fairy lights. On the projection screen is an image of Emily Maguire’s book, Rapture, which they’re here to discuss. U3A class discussing First Australians in our bookshop, led by Ted Donelan.
March 14, 2025 at 2:16 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Good morning, Bluesky people. ☀️I put the A-frame up on the corner where this little beauty is parked and has been there over Folkie. Cute classic van, as yet unsold. First person into the bookshop asks for the Burn Book by Kara Swisher (out in May). #diaryofasmalltownbookseller
A classic white caravan is parked in an empty lot, canvas top popped. It’s a white 1980 vintage Skyline and is cute as a button. Its price is 9.5K but is open to negotiation.
March 12, 2025 at 12:10 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
We saw this legend at the Folk Festival last night and were blown away! What a phenomenal woman is Ruthie. She's just won a Grammy for this gorgeous album - Best Contemporary Blues, and no wonder. Thank you to the fabulous Folkie! (No photos, I couldn't tear my ears away.) #diaryofafolkiebookseller
Cover image of Ruthie Foster's Grammy-Award winning album, Mileage. Ruthie is sitting with a guitar, looking skyward. This album is sensational.
March 10, 2025 at 12:02 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
And The High Street Drifters, as our final Folkie performance in the bookshop! Australian bluegrass with a bit of Dylan thrown in. Excellent energetic fun! #diaryofafolkiebookseller
March 9, 2025 at 5:49 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Today’s Port Fairy Folk Festival events: Felicity Dowd, a whole 21 years old and brilliant, and the Grassy Strings, a bluegrass duo from Calcutta who say that bluegrass is a little “obscure” at home. #diaryofafolkievenue
Felicity Dowd on the Blarney stage, in front of an enthusiastic audience. The duo Grassy Strings in ifront of a huge - and very white - audience on the Blarney stage.
March 8, 2025 at 4:47 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Good Folkie Saturday! We have an expected top in town of 29, and no wind. Justin Rudge, Folkie director, has some contacts. First person warns me at the A-frame that if we are an airconned venue, our events are likely to be busy today. (We are, we hope so.) We’re ready! #diaryofamusicalbookseller
Image of a bookshop stage set up for music events and seating for the audience. If I panned to the left, you’d see an airconditioner. Wheelchair accessible.
March 8, 2025 at 12:02 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Good morning! It’s Folkie Friday in Port Fairy. The streets will be closing off soon for the street market and parade. We’re starting our day with visitors who are clearly on grandparent duty. “Pop, are you akshually SLEEPING already?” He claimed no. #diaryofafolkiebookseller
A photo taken of the town’s Village Green in the evening. The outdoor stage has Port Fairy Folk Festival signage all lit up, and fairy lights run across the square. There’s a park bench facing the stage, with a green manicured lawn in between.
March 7, 2025 at 12:08 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Today's the day I get the guy who asks for the book from the middle of our book stack (image shown). Yesterday was the day I was asked if I was qualified to do this. "To sell books?" "Yes, are you a librarian?" "No, I don't have an information management degree." #diaryofanunqualifiedbookseller
A vertical tower of old books filling a doorway is shown. They are all painted either blue, yellow or red, and the stack is somewhat precariously bendy. The books used in this installation were all damaged beyond use - no good books were hurt.
March 6, 2025 at 12:45 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
A timely piece on saying “thank you” by poet WS Merwin, from the anthology, Bright Poems for Dark Days”, collated by Julie Sutherland and illustrated by Carolyn Gavin. (2021)
March 6, 2025 at 12:25 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
All’s well, Ben. Here’s yet another Biblio Art entry based on your flathead short story! 🌟
An image of an artwork set in a wooden frame… a rustic, even derelict, wooden boat on a sandy beach is painted in watercolour. The boat is called Mother. Someone has spray painted “Boats R shit!” on to its grimy exterior. There are three upright fish which are actual fishing lures pinned around the boat. Another fishing lure fish is pinned, but this one is upside down and close to a cutout watercolour depiction of an empty orange life jacket. There is a watercolour cutout of a flathead fish glued to the front bottom left corner of the wooden frame. The old boat casts a long shadow.
March 5, 2025 at 1:13 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Good morning! It’s Folkie Wednesday and the vibe is cheerful … the tents are up, people are starting to roll into town. First person asks for preloved @stephenking.bsky.social novels. His books are so hard to keep on the shelf in new or used - always in demand. #diaryofafolkiebookseller
An image of the Port Fairy Folk Festival tent tops, from outside the arena. It’s blue, blue sky and the white tents with the little red toppers look festive. The surrounding fence is covered in murals depicting colourful fish swimming with colourful instruments. This is, after all, a beachside music festival.
March 5, 2025 at 12:11 AM
joblarney.bsky.social
Sold a copy of Samantha Harvey's Orbital and a small artwork from our Biblio Art Prize exhibition to a lovely local visitor. This artwork is by Elizabeth Knight and is inspired by Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional. #diaryofalocalbookseller
This image is of a watercolour artwork, depicting a religious wooden hymn display box, where instead of the hymn number listings there is: a pigeon against a white background; some pink flowers against a blue background; a large run of grey/brown mice against a green background, indicating a plague; and a white skeleton (cranium, spine & rib cage) against a red/brown background.
March 2, 2025 at 3:43 AM