Little Island team up with Black & Irish to celebrate “black Irish legends” from past and present
In a landmark moment in Irish publishing, Independent Irish publisher Little Island Books are thrilled to announce their collaboration with Black & Irish on a book titled Black and Irish: Celebrating Black Irish Legends, Trailblazers and Everyday Heroes.
The book will be published to mark Ireland’s Black History Month in October 2023. World rights in all languages will be held jointly by the two organisations and administered by Little Island.
Covering historic and current figures from the worlds of the arts, sport, business, politics and social activism, Black and Irish will also find space to celebrate everyday heroes—lesser known figures making a difference in Irish communities today.
The target audience is teenagers and the book is also expected to have significant crossover appeal among an adult readership.
This landmark moment in Irish publishing history will be backed by Little Island’s most ambitious marketing and promotional campaign to date. The book will take its place alongside Black & Irish’s online presence and their RTÉ-backed podcast, Black and Irish.
Black & Irish founder Leon Diop says that they are thrilled to be partnering with Little Island to bring this book to life: “Black & Irish has been focused on showcasing the stories of black and mixed-race people from all over Ireland and we are delighted that we can now do this in the form of a book.
“It is critical that as our communities become more diverse, they also become more aware and empathetic to others. We hope our book will be able to drive those values in every Irish person here and abroad.”
Little Island Publisher Matthew Parkinson-Bennett says that Little Island are excited to be working alongside the dynamic Black & Irish team who are already making waves in Irish culture: “This landmark book will be so important for young people in Ireland and will be of great interest to Irish communities around the world.”
