Brian Gallagher tells us about his experience writing The Case of the Vanishing Painting – a thrilling detective story set in Dublin 1911. Brian Gallagher by City Headshots Dublin I loved writing this story. And yet The Case of the Vanishing Painting is a book that I never planned to write. Sometimes, though, it’s good to be taken out of your comfort zone – both as an author, and, indeed, in life in general. The person who challenged me to leave my comfort zone was the late Michael O’Brien, my much-missed publisher. I had written eleven novels for O’Brien Press, all of them historical fiction ..read more

In Tread Softly: Classic Irish Poems for Children, editor Nicola Reddy and illustrator Erin Brown introduce our youngest readers to Yeats, Wilde, Joyce, Tynan, Gregory and more. When my daughter was learning to speak, we spent many a bedtime reading a giant collection of nursery rhymes together. As someone who makes books for a living, I loved watching how her young mind tackled these strange, unfamiliar pieces. She didn’t know what many of the words meant – ‘tuffet’, ‘curds’, ‘whey’ – but she heard the lovely rhythm and rhyme. She caught a familiar idea here and there – ‘sat’, ‘eating’, ‘spi ..read more

Ireland’s leading independent publisher is seeking an experienced book production administrator for an engaging and busy role. This full-time position includes the following key elements: managing relationships with and buying print from a wide selection of international printers; preparing files for print for all of our titles (approx. 50 new titles and 100 reprints per annum); schedule management for these jobs. Strong working knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop and Acrobat are essential. The successful candidate will be highly organised and accurate, working well in a dynamic team environment ..read more

Archive includes first edition titles from Marita Conlon-McKenna, Éamonn MacThomáis, Eoin Colfer, Siobhán Parkinson, Polly Devlin, Frank McGuinness and William Trevor Photo by Conor Ó Mearáin Dr. Audrey Whitty, director of The National Library of Ireland, with Ivan O’Brien, marking the acquisition of the O’Brien Press publishing archive in NLI’s newly opened Art Room. The National Library of Ireland has today (19.12.23) announced the acquisition of The O’Brien Press Collection. Dating back to the establishment of the Irish family-run publishing house in 1974, the collection contains thous ..read more

George Munday, photographer and author of Irish Follies and Whimsical Architecture, tells us all about the inspiration for his beautiful book. September 2009: It’s amazing how quickly the weather changes in Ireland. I left my home on the County Waterford coast in bright sunshine and headed inland. Thirty minutes later, a thin mist swirled around the windscreen and clouds gathered. When Lismore Castle, the object of my jaunt, appeared, I pulled into a lay-by alongside the Blackwater River, to consider my options. Inclement weather, a frequent dilemma for landscape photographers, usually involv ..read more

Nicola Pierce tells us all about the research and making of her latest children’s novel, In Between Worlds, and her fascinating events for libraries and schools. Nicola Pierce by City Headshots Dublin In Between Worlds opens in the year 1935 with a frail but still feisty Margaret Gaffney who is reluctantly celebrating yet another birthday, her hundredth, in an old folks’ home in Australia. The reader quickly discovers two things about Margaret: firstly, that she hails from Skibbereen in west Cork and secondly, that she survived the Irish Famine. In 2021, my publisher, The O’Brien Press, approa ..read more

Kate Sheehy tells us all about the inspiration behind her wonderful new picture book Too Many Cats! There is no denying that I have always loved cats, but my daughter is the real cat person in our house. It was her love for them that inspired me to write Too Many Cats. We have three cats: Puss, Tigger, and Goose. Observing their relationship with Alice gave me plenty of ideas for the book. As well as adoring our own cats, Alice loves spotting all the cats in the neighbourhood. There are so many different types and she used to want them all! So, I began writing a story about a girl who thinks ..read more

Alan Nolan tells us all about the inspiration behind his latest adventure book series about Molly Malone and Bram Stoker! “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Between the ages of six and ten, I must have been asked this question a couple of times a week, and I always gave one of two answers. Depending on the time of day, the month of the year and what I might have had for breakfast that morning I’d either say ‘an archaeologist’ or ‘a dog.’ Neither of those two very worthy and well-thought-out career choices came true, of course. I decided I didn’t want to be a dog when I realised that I ..read more

Debut author Amy Clarkin tells us all about her experience writing her first book, What Walks These Halls, and the inspiration behind this chilling story. Amy Clarkin by City Headshots I wrote What Walks These Halls while I was shielding during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m high risk for COVID, and spent almost fifteen months shielding in my family home while waiting for a vaccine. What Walks These Halls was an anchor during that difficult time. My chronic illness, ME, means I can’t work full time, or reliably to a fixed schedule. But on the days I was well enough, I sat at my desk ..read more

Author and photographer Carsten Krieger tells us all about his new book, Wild Ireland. Carsten chats about his inspiration for his latest book and the stories behind some of the stunning photographs. Wild Ireland is the book I always wanted to make. It’s also the first book where I could properly indulge in writing, a passion that has been growing over the years. This book has been in the making for almost two decades. After I had finished my first book, The Fertile Rock – Seasons in the Burren I wanted to explore Ireland’s nature further; the mountains, the peatlands, the forests, the coast ..read more