In a former shop to the rear of a small shopping arcade on Main Street in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, the shelves are filled with a diverse range of toys, suitable for babies and children up to the age of around eight. There’s everything from ride-on diggers to wooden walking skis, from jigsaws and puzzles to sensory toys, push-along toys, child-size cash registers, doctor’s and dentist’s sets, hair and make-up kits, and a rail of dress-up clothes to choose from. But there’s no price tag on anything.
We’re at the Carrickmacross Toy Library, where the motto is “buy less, play more”. It’s a members-based charity from which families – and schools – can borrow toys for children, saving money, reducing the environmental impact of discarded toys and creating a community of like-minded people.
On a busy Saturday afternoon, parents with young children arrive to return and borrow toys, while some stay for a short play or to join in the craft club, run by Jamie MacLeod-Elliott, from the Monaghan Waldorf School.
“It’s a chance for children to try out toys and see what they like and don’t like. For environmental reasons, it’s good not to purchase toys that will be discarded. Toy libraries also build a sense of community,” says MacLeod-Elliott, who is busy showing a group of children how to make spring crowns from willow branches, cardboard shapes, ribbons and flower petals. Craft clubs also foster creativity by showing children – and their parents – how to make things without investing in expensive kits.
Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story review – A chilling gaze into a monstrous, soulless void
Eurovision 2025 second semi-final live updates: Ireland’s Emmy is knocked out before grand final
First Look: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning: Tom Cruise gets all sentimental amid some suave mayhem
A Deadly American Marriage review: Excruciating documentary gives Jason Corbett’s killers Molly Martens and her father a platform and megaphone
MacLeod-Elliott often borrows Lego sets for her two daughters when they take a train journey, to provide novelty and distraction. The Waldorf school also borrows toys for special events.
“We have about 200 members and nearly 1,000 toys,” says Laura McCormack, who works at the Toy Library. “People can send us their wish list by email or reserve a toy on the online system.” Toys for babies and the miniature tractors and machinery are among the most borrowed items. “The toys that are a small version of our own world – like play kitchens – are also very popular,” she adds.
Áine Keating from near Ardee in Co Louth is here with her four-year-old daughter, Síofra. “She loves the costumes. She loves dressing up. The Disney costumes are so expensive, so [here] she can borrow costumes of different characters,” says Keating.
The chance to try out bigger items such as a Balance Board – to see if her daughter likes it – is another incentive to join the Toy Library. “We’ve borrowed jigsaws so she can progress to trickier ones. There are only so many times you’ll make a jigsaw,” says Keating.
Fiona Marron has recently moved back to live near Carrickmacross after years in Dublin. “It’s a good way to meet other parents,” she says of the library.
We aspire to being like Australia, where toy libraries are a huge part of the community. Our vision is that every child in Ireland would have access to a toy library
— Jill Kennon
A stacking tower, a pack of sensory rainbow glitter balls, a xylophone in a wooden box with balls you hammer down to create the sounds, and some Magicubes (plastic blocks that stick together with magnets) – these are the four items that Rose Callen and Robert Marron have just borrowed for their 13-month-old daughter Róisín.
[ So, you want children. But can you afford them?Opens in new window ]
“There is about €150-worth of toys here, and they are only relevant for about three months in terms of her development,” says Marron.
Callen gets a thrill out of borrowing the toys for her daughter. “We wouldn’t have the space to store such a variety of toys at home, and it’s such a cost saving being able to borrow them,” she says.
This is one of five standalone toy libraries across Ireland. Others include the Zero Waste Toy Library in Derry, the Clonmel Toy Library in Co Tipperary, and the Banbridge Toy Library in Co Down. Most are tied in with existing facilities such as churches or family resource centres. Some book libraries also have a small range of toys offered on loan to members.
This week will mark the national launch of Toy Libraries Ireland, a new national association promoting toy libraries across the 32 counties. The organisation will offer groups guidance on how to set up a toy library in their local area.
“We aspire to being like Australia, where toy libraries are a huge part of the community,” says Jill Kennon, founder of the Carrickmacross Toy Library. There are more than 280 not-for-profit toy libraries across Australia. “Our vision is that every child in Ireland would have access to a toy library.”
About 60 per cent of the toys in the Carrickmacross Toy Library have been donated. The other 40 per cent were purchased through various grants. Families can borrow up to four items for two weeks – with the possibility to renew rentals twice. Schools can borrow up to six items for six weeks.
Family membership is €12 for three months, €20 for six months and €35 for a year. Annual membership for a primary or play school is €60 per year. The Toy Library also rents bigger toys for birthday parties.
[ Dangerous toys made outside EU sold online within the blocOpens in new window ]
Merrilyn Campbell has travelled from near Dundalk with her four-year-old son, Thomas. “We are waiting to see if the karaoke machine comes back today,” she says, while Thomas sits on the floor playing with an ambulance and toy hospital. “Seeing other children play with a toy is really important as he can decide if he likes it,” she adds. At the Stay and Play sessions, children can try out different toys before they take them home.
Campbell is originally from Melbourne in Australia, and has fond memories of regular visits to both book and toy libraries as a child. “Going to these libraries were just normal things for us to do,” she says.
Toy Libraries first emerged in the United States in the 1930s during the Great Depression. The oldest, in Los Angeles, opened in 1935 when a dime-store operator noticed children stealing toys, and instead of reporting them to the police, filled his garage with toys and lent them out. The programme now serves 35,000 children a year and distributes toys at 54 locations including parks and childcare centres. Much of the stock now comes from donations from individuals and toy and game companies.
Sweden was the first country in Europe to have toy libraries. The first one, part of a preschool for children with disabilities, opened in 1963. Soon after, similar toy libraries catering for children with special needs opened in Norway and the UK and later in the Netherlands, Australia and Canada. Mobile toy libraries operate in rural parts of Britain and there are also some businesses – including in Ireland – that offer toy lending services.
Martin Troy is in charge of repairs at the Carrickmacross Toy Library and keeping the stock in good order. Members are asked to return items clean and are given extra time to find any missing bits before returning them.
“A few toy manufacturers will give you replacement parts, but we also hope to make parts with the 3D printer in the local library,” says Troy.
Longer term, he plans to research the carbon footprint of each toy and include details on the website as encouragement for families. “Ninety per cent of toys are made from plastic, the vast majority of which can’t be recycled. Research suggests most children discard toys 36 days after purchase, particularly over the Christmas,” he says.
The Toy Library also plans to do outreach with local schools if a future funding emerges. “We’d like to raise awareness about the role of toy libraries,” says McCormack. “We’d like to go into primary schools or have them come to us to give a presentation on ‘the life of a toy’ – and what happens when it is thrown away.”
