The O'Brien Press is an Irish

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of mainly

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

and

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

History

The O'Brien Press was founded in 1973, evolving out of a family-run printing and type-house. Its first publication came in November 1974 and numerous other titles soon followed. O'Brien published books are regularly shortlisted for the

Bisto Book of the Year Awards The CBI Book of the Year Awards ( ga, Duaiseanna Leabhair na Bliana CBI), previously known as the Bisto Book of the Year Awards, are literary awards presented annually in the Republic of Ireland to writers and illustrators of books for children ...

. As of 2007, no less than 24 books published by the O'Brien Press have won a

Successes

The O'Brien Press is notable for launching the career of international, bestselling author,

Eoin Colfer Eoin Colfer (; born 14 May 1965) is an Irish author of children's books. He worked as a primary school teacher before he became a full-time writer. He is best known for being the author of the Artemis Fowl (series), ''Artemis Fowl'' series. I ...

, publishing the " Benny Books" and '' The Wish List'', and have also published '' The General'' by Paul Williams, which was made into a major film by

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

in 1998. It is the only

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

to have received the prestigious

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...

Award.

Authors published by O'Brien Press

Marita Conlon-McKenna Marita Conlon-McKenna (born 5 November 1956) is an Irish author of children's books and adult fiction. She is best known for her Famine-era historical children's book '' Under the Hawthorn Tree'', the first book of the ''Children of the Famine'' ...

(born 1956) – a children's novels author, including ''Children of the Famine'' trilogy *

Judi Curtin Judi Curtin (born c 1960s) is an Irish children's writer and novelist based in Limerick. Biography Judi Curtin was born in Kenton, London to Irish parents who were originally from County Kerry. When she was eight her family moved to Douglas, Co ...

– author of Alice and Megan series, including '' Alice Next Door '' * Paul Howard (born 1971) – journalist and author of the ''Ross O'Carroll-Kelly'' series *

Gerry Hunt Gerry Hunt (born 1936) was an Irish cartoonist. He worked as an architect for 25 years, including 18 years at IDA Ireland. In 1986 he turned to cartooning, first drawing political cartoons, then creating a Spanish-language comic which he gave aw ...

(born 1936) – an Irish comics writer and artist *

Conor Kostick Conor Kostick (born 26 June 1964) is an Irish historian and writer living in Dublin. He is the author of many works of history and fiction. Works '' Epic'' was his first novel and was awarded a place on the International Board on Books for Youn ...

– an historian and writer, including the ''Avatar Chronicles'' *

Oisín McGann Oisín McGann (born 1973) is an Irish writer and illustrator, who writes in a range of genres for children and teenagers, mainly science fiction and fantasy, and has illustrated many of his own short story books for younger readers. As of 5/10/ ...

(born 1973) – a children and young adult author and illustrator *

Shay Healy Shay Healy (29 March 1943 – 9 April 2021) was an Irish songwriter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known for his role as host of ''Nighthawks'', a RTÉ Television chat show of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and for composing "What's An ...

(1943–2021) – a songwriter, broadcaster and journalist * Elizabeth Shaw (artist) (1920–1992) – an Irish artist, illustrator and children's book author * Gerard Whelan (born 1957) – a children's author

Brandon

Brandon is an imprint of O'Brien Press. Brandon Books was independently established in

Dingle Dingle (Irish language, Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coas ...

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

by Steve McDonogh but subsequently folded when he died. Authors published by Brandon include

Gerry Adams Gerard Adams ( ga, Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish republican politician who was the president of Sinn Féin between 13 November 1983 and 10 February 2018, and served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth from 2011 to 2020 ...

, Alice Taylor, Mary Morrissy and

Frank McGuinness Professor Frank McGuinness (born 1953) is an Irish writer. As well as his own plays, which include '' The Factory Girls'', ''Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme'', ''Someone Who'll Watch Over Me'' and ''Dolly West's Kitchen'', ...

References

External links