Girls Rock Dublin launch music gear library in Ballyfermot

Girls Rock Dublin (GRD) have launched a new branch of their GRD Gear Library, in collaboration with Dublin City Libraries, in Ballyfermot.

The GRD Gear Library is a one-of-a-kind service that allows teenagers up to 18 years old to borrow musical gear for free with a library card.

Operating out of Pearse Street Library since September 2019, their new branch was launched in Ballyfermot last week on June 28th.

Electric guitars, basses, drum kits, synths and mics are just some of the gear available on loan from the GRD Gear Library. Loans last for three weeks and can be renewed on the phone.

Open to teenagers under 18 years of all genders, all gear can be viewed online, booked over the phone, and then collected in person at Pearse Street Library or Ballyfermot Library with a library card.

The gear is the same that Girls Rock Dublin use for their summer camps, workshops and events, and comes mostly from community donations, along with purchases made with funding received from Reverb.com and Music Network.

Thank you to everyone who shared the news about the latest branch of the GRD Gear Library in Ballyfermot this week! We're buzzing with all the excitement! If you have a teen in your life who'd like to try out an instrument, all the info is right here https://t.co/khuY4foang

— Girls Rock Dublin (@GirlsRockDublin) June 30, 2021

Founded in 2016, Girls Rock Dublin is a non-profit group and the first ever girls rock camp organisation in Ireland.

They run camps and events aimed at growing girls, gender non-binary youth's and women's self-esteem through music creation and performance, "create leadership opportunities, cultivate a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourage social change and the development of life skills."

"Part of a global movement of rock camps, we are united by the desire for gender equality in the music industry," their website states.

Girls Rock Dublin have held summer camps in the past for girls and women, as well as non-binary folk. They also hold other workshops and events, such as Open Mic Nights, pop-up music-making workshops, and public library takeovers.

Some former summer camp coaches have included Ailbhe Reddy, MayKay (Fight Like Apes, Le Galaxie) and Niamh Farrell (Ham Sandwich), and Wyvern Lingo, SOAK, Loah, Saint Sister, Girlfriend and Soulé are just some of the guests stars who've performed and held Q&As to inspire their campers.

To browse the GRD Gear Library catalogue, or if you'd like to donate gear to their library, click here.