The O Brien Press: 308 books

The Hair-Raising Adventures of an Irish Vet. Whether castrating horses in Dublin's inner city or dehorning cattle in the wilds of Wicklow, rescuing mangled cats from mongrels or tending to stoned guard dogs, vet Gillian Hick's sense of humour never deserts her in this engaging account of the...

The history of Irish traditional music, song and dance from the mythological harp of the Dagda right up to Riverdance and beyond. Exploring an abundant spectrum of historical sources, music and folklore, this guide uncovers the contribution of the Normans to Irish dancing, the role of the music...

Best-selling author, businessman and Senator Feargal Quinn firmly believes every business has the potential to survive and even thrive during a recession. In Mind Your Own Business, he uses real-life examples from the first two series of RTÉ television's hit programme, Feargal Quinn's Retail Therapy,...

In this witty, engaging and deeply personal memoir, Superquinn founder and Senator Feargal Quinn shares his memories of the ups and downs of business and public life in Ireland over seven decades. He recalls his family’s commercial and political roots, his childhood at Red Island holiday camp and...

Five years in the Polish wilderness. Queues for groceries, unfathomable bus timetables, inexplicable traditions and truly bizarre soup – this is Poland in the mid-1990s, where Tom Galvin innocently went as a trainee teacher. Without a word of Polish, he is plunged into a strange and...

Vet Among the Pigeons continues the story of veterinary surgeon Gillian Hick's escapades among the animal population. Although by now, not such a green graduate, the animals and their owners keep her challenged in a way never described in the text books. While based in a mixed animal practice in Wicklow,...

With the imminent arrival of her third child, veterinary surgeon, Gillian Hick, decides to abandon the perils of mixed animal practice, in a favour of setting up a small animal practice from home. When neighbouring farmer, John Armstrong, drops in for a cup of tea and stays to build the new veterinary...

She recorded and performed with stars like Billie Jo Spears, Ray Lynam, Foster and Allen, Charley Pride, Big Tom and Brian Coll, shared festival line-ups with Tammy Wynette, Glen Campbell, Don Williams, Hank Locklin and many more and was awarded gold, silver and platinum discs. Yet, throughout...

BESTSELLER An explosive exposé of how British military intelligence really works, from the inside. The stories of two undercover agents -- Brian Nelson, who worked for the Force Research Unit (FRU), aiding loyalist terrorists and murderers in their bloody work; and the man known as Stakeknife,...

The English invasions of Ireland were never accepted. Each generation of Irish rebels resisted and, in doing so, faced certain death. They became martyrs and left behind speeches and watchwords to spark the flames of nationalism and idealism. Using eyewitness accounts, speeches and illustrative material,...

From patriots to pirates, warriors to writers, and mistresses to male impersonators, this book looks at the unorthodox lives of inspiring Irish women. In times when women were expected to marry and have children, they travelled the world and sought out adventures; in times when women were expected...

James Connolly (1868-1916) became a leading Irish socialist and revolutionary, and was one of the leaders of Ireland's rebellion in 1916. As a youth he had served in the British army in Ireland and, seeing how they treated the local population, became hugely disillusioned with the British Army. He...

BRADLEY SPEAKS OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME – WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE IRA The IRA was Gerry Bradley’s life. His sole interest was in ‘ops’ – carrying out on-the-ground war. Inspired, initially, to defend his home place against Loyalist threats, he became one of the most senior operators...

Máire MacSwiney Brugha is the only child of Terence MacSwiney, one of the greatest figures in Ireland's history, who died after seventy-three days on hunger strike in Brixton Prison on 25 October 1920. His death became worldwide news. MacSwiney is reputed to have been quoted by Mahatma Gandhi as...