About

The publishing house of the Royal Irish Academy is one of the oldest in Ireland. We began publishing Transactions in 1787 recording the debates and lectures that the Academy members held in its early days.

Today we publish the work of hundreds of academics in six journals covering subjects such as earth sciences; biology and environmental studies; mathematics; international affairs; history, archaeology and literature; and Irish philology. These journals are all available online, and we are always looking for new writers to contribute research articles in these disciplines and to find ways to present them open access.

The Prism imprint of the Academy allows us to commission writers, artists and illustrators to make books that bring scholarly work to a broad audience. Titles include Catching the Worm, A History of Ireland in 100 Words, The Handover and Ireland 1922. Many of these books result in exhibitions, radio programmes, events, talks and podcasts and open up opportunities for collaboration with and showcasing the work of cultural institutions, other organisations, libraries, archives, festivals and the media.

The Academy publishes landmark series, including the output of most of the Academy’s research projects as well as series such as Excavations at Knowth, New Survey of Clare Island and Art and Architecture of Ireland. We publish scholarly books such as Early Medieval Ireland and The Origins of the Irish Constitution, and, more recently, Sisters and Ireland in the European Eye.

Our books and journals are peer-reviewed and are produced to a high standard of editing and design. Awards include several Irish Book Awards, Best Irish Printed book, Institute of Designers in Ireland awards and Business 2 Arts awards. The Royal Irish Academy is a member of Publishing Ireland.