Penguin Ireland rebrands as Sandycove

Penguin General is relaunching its Penguin Ireland imprint as "Sandycove".

The new name and logo are "Irish in origin but global in resonance", according to the publisher, inspired by James Joyce’s Martello tower in Ulysses, "and the extraordinary creativity it represents".

Penguin Ireland published its first books in 2003.

Explaining the reason for the name change, it said: "The name of the imprint seemed a straightforward matter. We were a part of the world’s most legendary publisher, publishing Irish writers and based in Ireland: Penguin Ireland. But one of the things our 17 years in business has demonstrated to us is that publishing knows no boundaries, and this is truer now than ever. We bring our books to global markets in all available formats. Not all of our authors are Irish, and some of our books find more readers in the UK and further afield."

The first book to appear under the renamed Sandycove imprint will be Kathleen MacMahon’s novel Nothing but Blue Sky (30th July). It will be followed by an autumn list that includes the new Ross O’Carroll-Kelly novel, Braywatch, Patrick Freyne’s "blisteringly funny and moving" OK, Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea, and Mary McAleese’s memoir Here’s the Story.

Highlights for 2021 meanwhile include the paperback of Liz Nugent’s Our Little Cruelties, and a "heart-warming" new story from Sinéad Moriarty—both bestsellers for the imprint.

Publisher Michael McLoughlin and editors Patricia Deevy and Brendan Barrington will continue to acquire for the list, across fiction and non-fiction and across a wide range of genres.

McLoughlin said: "We are working more closely than ever with our Penguin Random House colleagues in the UK and overseas to ensure we avail of every opportunity for our books and authors, and our new imprint name reflects this ambitious approach to publishing. Sandycove will offer a safe harbour for great writers and their work."