About Guildhall Press

Guildhall Press: Telling the Story of Derry

Guildhall Press are one of Ireland’s most innovative publishing houses and have gained widespread recognition for originating quality literary and heritage publications across a diverse range of topics which reach a worldwide audience.

The guiding mission of Guildhall Press is to create a comprehensive photographic and textual reference resource and archive on local social, political, economic and historical issues pertaining to Derry and the North West to enable the local population to learn more about their area and facilitate interested visitors discover its place in time and history.

 Based at the Ráth Mór Centre in Derry’s Creggan neighbourhood, Guildhall Press make this rich vein of primary produced material available across a range of publications and other media which are widely used throughout the educational and tourism sectors. We also support and promote the best in literary and fiction output from authors wishing to express their creativity and seeking recognition for their work on the global stage.

In line with our community support ethos, we use our editorial and design expertise to assist individuals, creative writers’ groups and non-profit organisations produce publications or informational material to promote their specific aims or services.

Background and Development

Guildhall Press were founded in 1979 as Guildhall Children’s Press, a voluntary educational trust by two teachers – Colm Cavanagh and Anne Murray – who felt frustrated when attempting to source locally produced accounts or records of Derry’s origins and development suitable for the younger reader. Its aims were to research, write and publish all aspects of local history in an objective and factual way and to create a platform for reconciliation through education by publishing material that increased cross-community understanding and acceptance. Anne and Colm formed a committee of fellow academics and professionals including Denis Mullan, Dermot Logue, Bob Hunter, Hilda McCafferty, Kenny and Marguerita Martin, Anneseley Malley, George Sweeney, Kevin Breslin, Kathleen Carlin, Tim Webster and Vincent Cavanagh, who all contributed time, professional skills and advice, and financing when required to facilitate book research and production.

Everything that was then available had been produced by academics for academics and, to compound their frustration, few if any of these academic accounts were even produced in Ireland, never mind Derry. Anne and Colm decided it was vitally important to the citizens of the city that they should be able to access information about their area, researched and produced by local people and made accessible in a format and at a subsidised price that everyone could avail of.

Creggan Enterprises and the NI Co-operative Development Agency helped the group develop a business plan and mentored them through successful applications to the Department of Social Development and Derry District Partnership which enabled the organisation to reconstitute as a social enterprise community arts business in 2002.