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MICHAEL O’BRIEN, founder of Irish publishing house O’Brien Press, has died.
Best known for his role in the publishing industry, he founded the business along with his father Thomas in 1974.
Michael’s son Ivan, the press’ Managing Director, said his family is in shock following his death.
In a statement this afternoon, President Michael D Higgins said news of Michael’s death will “have been received with great sadness by all of those who love books, writing and the world of publishing”.
“Michael O’Brien was a pioneering, brave and encouraging publisher. His work alone in relation to the publication of children’s books was a significant contribution,” the statement said.
“He understood the great challenges that were there to the intrusion of the market in the world of publishing. I recall meeting him as with others as Representative of Irish Publishers in relation to the fixed price of the book and the importance of the cultural exception.”
President Higgins said Michael had a deep love of Dublin and its people “which was reflected in his publication choices”.
“He was rightly proud of the tradition that he and his father shared. Tom O’Brien, his father, whose life is described in Strong Words, Brave Deeds, was one of those who went from Ireland to fight for the Spanish Republic as part of the International Brigade,” he said.
There are many writers whose talent was first recognised by Michael O’Brien, not only those but all those interested in the world of literature will recall as I do his warmth, kindness and encouragement. At our last meeting, when he visited the Áras, we discussed the 1930s.
“He will be missed by so many. Sabina joins with me in sending our deep condolences to Michael’s wife Svetlana, his children Ivan, Eoin, Dara and Ferdia, his grandchildren and his wider family and his many, many friends.”
Arts and Culture Minister Catherine Martin said Michael’s legacy “will be forever felt in Ireland’s literary landscape”.
I'm sorry to hear Michael O'Brien has passed away@OBrienPress, which he established, published some of our best authors including Marita Conlon-McKenna & @EoinColfer
— Catherine Martin TD (@cathmartingreen) August 2, 2022
Michael's legacy will be forever felt in Ireland's literary landscape. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. https://t.co/Vtmtk6QKHS pic.twitter.com/5wjyUAqQmc
The Arts Council’s Literature Manager Audrey Keane paid tribute to Michael’s work, saying that “Michael O’Brien had a highly distinguished career in Irish publishing”.
“He worked tirelessly and with unswerving dedication and commitment and his influence in the area of Irish publishing for children in particular leaves a lasting legacy,” she said.
“We send our deepest condolences to his friends and family and all at The O’Brien Press”.
The Gutter Bookshop in Dublin has also paid tribute, describing Michael as a “big supporter of Irish authors and publishing and the whole book industry in Ireland”.
O’Brien Press launched its first publication in November 1974, a book called Me Jewel and Darlin’ Dublin by Éamonn MacThomáis.
Since then, it has specialised in children’s fiction and non-fiction for adults and children, as well as some adult novels.
Its published authors include Des Lavelle, Brendan Behan, Siobhán Parkinson, Eoin Colfer, Paul Howard and Judi Curtin, as well as Marita Conlon-McKenna for her famous Under The Hawthorne Tree trilogy.
Michael is survived by his wife Svetlana, his four children and six grandchildren, as well as his three sisters, two brothers and extended family.
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Great to see – now lets really tackle packaging waste and force business to make the environmentally correct choice when choosing their packaging – We need to get rid of plastic bottles, plastic wrapping and one off coffee cups and lids
@brian boru:
Bring in another tax…..
@P.J. Nolan: not all taxes are bad – some make sense and others are just greedy – if taxes make it cost effective for a business to do the right thing then it is a good tax in my book. Some are greedy and corrupt like the Irish water plan and need to be fought but smart taxation can be beneficial to society.
All the chocolate bar companies have moved to plastic wrapping because it costs less. Like wise the soft drink companies have moved to plastic bottles because they are prettier. Neither are thinking about the environment and need to be forced to rethink their packaging plans. Taxation is the fastest route to getting these huge companies to change their game plan at the speed we need it to happen.
@brian boru: I would be far more comfortable if chocolate bars once again came in paper and foil. I know they wont recycle the foil but i’m sure it does far less than damage to the environment than plastic.
@Darren Byrne: The plastic gives a longer shelf life so the chocolate companies are using it to give them higher margins at the cost of the environment. Regulatory needs to step in and drive a higher cost to the manufacturer for using the plastic due to the environmental cost. Am sure if the right pressure was applied a solution could be arranged that worked for everyone. The only lever I can think of in this situation is taxation as expecting people to make the change will take generations.
@brian boru: I’m sure it does give longer shelf life, but surely chocolate is a fast-selling item with a high turnover rate? And once bought? I’ve often eaten a square or two and put it away for a week or so, okay, I’m odd, but a lot of people seem to eat bars very quickly once they have some in the house – I’ve even heard of people freezing a bar to keep it for later. I honestly don’t see chocolate as being in any danger of going off before it’s consumed.
It’s fantastic the system works, now let’s solve the plastic bottles ( bottle water ) and the coffee cup problem .
Great and more to be done… especially with plastic
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/plasticpledge/?beta=true
Where are all the reusable items stripped out of the WEEE appliances. Is it Ireland, UK, Europe.
Surely it’s not Africa where all that toxic stuff is released in both the air and the soil/water, by burning all that plastic stuff that covers wires and other components by folks trying to scrape a living together ?
Any answers appreciated. Hope I’m wrong.
Is a dildo a small appliance? Just asking
@Seriously stunned: that all depends on the wife’s choice in style
@Seriously stunned: that all depends on the wife’s choice in style
If domestic appliances were designed and built to last longer than the now average 5 to 10 years lifespan then recycling would be greatly reduced.The average lifespan of some appliances twenty or thirty years ago was averaging ten to twenty years .Most appliances now have built in obsolescence.
Great, but after the specials on Aldi and Lidl this Sunday, we’ll need extra capacity!
You are going to have a great bunch of lads moistening their lips when you talk about that much copper
This just demonstrates the amount of junk we buy throw out and replace. Thats not sustainable
have your say