The O'Brien Press

The O'Brien Press is Ireland's leading general publisher of both adult and children's books, publishing great books for nearly years. We strive for the widest possible market for our authors and have an extensive network of international rights agents representing our books for all major languages and territories. We regularly attend the key book fairs in Frankfurt, London and (for children's books) Bologna, and we have had more than seven hundred (and counting!) foreign editions of O'Brien Press books published in forty languages. The O'Brien Press was established in 1974 by Michael O’Brien and his father Thomas, evolving out of a family-run printing and type house, and has established a reputation for quality and excellence in publishing for adults and children, publishing well over two thousand books. Today, The O'Brien Press is Ireland's leading independent publisher, with a diverse publishing programme covering many different areas including fiction (for both adults and children), architecture, humour, environmental issues, history, biography, autobiography, business, folklore, travel & tourism, photography, poetry, sport, music, politics, true crime, cookery, reference books and much more. When we started to publish children's books there was little activity in the area, and most children's books were imported. We decided to change that, and children's books (covering the complete age range from toddlers to teens) now form a major part of our publishing programme. Our children's books have won many awards, and continue to head the Irish Children's Bestseller lists. One of our most popular books for young readers is Under the Hawthorn Tree by Marita Conlon-McKenna; first published in 1990, this book has won two international awards and was No. 1 on the Bestseller list for two years: we are delighted to publish Fairy Hill this year, Marita’s first new book for children in over 20 years. Our award-winning picture books list has grown dramatically, demonstrating the huge bank of illustration talent in Ireland. New picture books include Standing On One Leg is Hard, Dodos Are Not Extinct! and Kevin’s In A Mood. The O'Brien Press is represented at this year’s London Book Fair by Managing Director Ivan O’Brien.