Arts & Culture
A Century of Great Reads In 2025, Cork University Press (CUP), Ireland’s oldest university press, celebrated it’s centenary.
Sinéad Neville (BA 2012; MA 2013) is now Head of Publishing at CUP. She shares her career story along with the publishing house’s remarkable legacy and global reach.
Forging Ireland’s Scholarly Identity Founded in 1925 by the then University registrar Alfred O’Rahilly, who would later become UCC President, Cork University Press was born out of a desire to shape Ireland’s intellectual voice in the early years of the Free State. Reflecting on its evolution, Sinéad notes, “Today the Press still engages with Ireland’s intellectual identity whilst the key strengths of our list rests in embracing our regional roots and in making scholarship accessible to a broad readership.”
From Cork to the World In its early years, the Press mirrored UCC’s academic strengths, publishing across a wide range of disciplines. Today, it is a global leader in Irish Studies, with
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contributors from the US, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. Sinéad’s own path to publishing began at UCC. “I graduated with a joint BA in English and Philosophy and furthered my studies with an MA in English. It was during my MA that I decided to seek a role in academic publishing.”
“My passion for publishing brought me back to my alma mater.” She credits her MA supervisor, Dr Clíona Ó Gallchoir, for helping her get a foot in the door. “From there I found my first internship role and went on to spend eight years working in academic and professional publishing in London.” After returning to Cork to lead marketing and communications at The Everyman theatre, Sinéad found herself drawn back to publishing. “My passion for publishing brought
▲ Sinéad Neville
me back to my alma mater when the role at the Press came up.”
A Cultural Legacy “Looking back across 100 years, it’s difficult to pinpoint the Press’s greatest contributions to scholarship and culture,” reflects Sinéad. “Some of our earliest works include Dánta Grádha (1926), and it’s heartening to see a revival in Irish-language publishing with Glór ón Sceilg (2025) shortlisted for the Gradam Uí Shúilleabháin award. This marks our first recognition in An tOireachtas’ Gradaim Fhoilsitheoireachta, and my ambition is to grow our Irishlanguage offering.” A centenary symposium in 2025 brought together leading voices in Irish public scholarship, culture and academia. Speakers included Professor Claire Connolly, Professor Linda Connolly, Feargal Keane, Professor Cormac Ó Gráda, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Eoin Reardon and Virginia Teehan and explored the Press’s role in shaping Irish intellectual and cultural life. The symposium showcased landmark publications from early to modern works reflecting the breadth and depth of