THESE are exciting times for the Cork University Press, says its publisher, Sarah Wilbourne. The company has just appointed a marketing and sales director, Seamus O'Reilly, bringing its total staff to six, as well as three freelancers.
The Cork University Press was set up in 1925. But it was only in 1992, with Wilbourne's appointment, that a decision was made to make the press commercially viable and self financing. Money was allocated for this purpose and this year 16 titles were published, with a further 24 planned for 1996.
Since its inception, the Cork University Press has published important books such as BG McCarthy's Female Pen and Ray Crotty's Irish Agricultural Production. "Since 1992, we have become a fully fledged commercial outlet. We would be similar to the Leicester University Press and, although on a smaller scale, the Edinburgh University Press," says Essex born Wilbourne, who started her career with Longman Higher Education in London.
One of the most successful books to have come out of the press is The Cork Anthology, edited by the late Sean Dunne. "We originally printed 4,500 copies. It has now gone into reprint and has become a classic." The Parnell Split by Frank Calian relaunched the press and his next book is a biography of TM Healy, the first Governor General of the Republic. "He is a very neglected figure in Irish history. That book is going to be very exciting for us."
Oceans of Consolation by David Fitzpatrick is another successful book published by the press. It is an analysis of emigrant correspondence between Ireland and Australia Cathal Poirteir has done an RTE Radio 1 programme on it which will be re broadcast shortly.
The most recently published book by Cork University Press is Repossessions by Sean O Tuama, which was launched by Seamus Heaney. For the first time, his essays have been made available in English and the aim is to bring the heritage of the Irish language to a bigger audience.
Another successful venture is the Undercurrent series of pamphlets which is currently edited by Fintan O'Toole the pamphlets deal with key issues such as unemployment, divorce, EU structural funds and Carol Coulter's book on feminism, The Hidden Tradition. An important new series will be the Critical Condition, a selection of Field Day essays edited by Seamus Deane.
Wilbourne says that publishing in Ireland is very healthy at the moment. "The diversity is extraordinary. But because Ireland is such a small island, we had to go to a UK recruitment agency to get the expertise when we were appointing our marketing and sales director."
