The press & the historian
About Portobello Press
Portobello Press is an independent publisher based in Dublin, promoting the work of Nellie Ó Cléirigh - a distinguished historian whose writing captures the richness of Ireland’s social and cultural past.
Founded by her family, the press was established to ensure that her interesting and informative works remain available to readers in Ireland and around the world. Since the publication of Valentia: A Different Irish Island in 1992, Portobello Press has continued to share her unique perspective on Irish history with new generations.
Born in Clonmel, County Tipperary in 1927, Nellie Ó Cléirigh studied History and Irish at University College Dublin before embarking on a career in the Irish Civil Service. She left her position when she married in the 1960s.
Nellie had a great interest in traditional Irish crafts which led her to set up her own needlecraft business Eyleen Handcrafts, and to become one of the country’s foremost authorities on Irish lace. She authored and co-authored several important works on the subject, including Carrickmacross Lace and Limerick Lace, helping to preserve knowledge of these intricate traditions.
Throughout her life, Nellie also had a great interest in Irish social history, and wrote many articles for a wide range of national and international journals and magazines.This research brought to light the lived experiences of women across Irish society, drawing on diaries, letters, and historical records to tell stories often left untold. Hardship and High Living: Irish Women’s Lives 1808–1923 is the culmination of this research.
In the late 1960s, she and her husband Cormac bought a house on Valentia Island in Co. Kerry. This was the beginning of her great interest in the island, its people and its varied and colourful history. Valentia A Different Irish Island continues to be a popular and important book today, telling the interesting history of this unique and beautiful island.