Department of English

Dr Caoilfhionn Ní Bheachain

18 January 2023, 3-4 pm

O'Rahilly Building 2.12

The Dun Emer Press (1902-1908) was a manifestation of - and engine for - the Cultural Revival and the Irish Arts and Crafts movement. The three women directors of the Dun Emer Industries – Elizabeth Yeats (printing), Susan Yeats (embroidery), and Evelyn Gleeson (weaving) - were embedded in influential coteries in London and Dublin, and these networks provided crucial support for their new project. My presentation foregrounds business acumen and strategic intent, with a particular emphasis on how the Dun Emer Press was positioned when it launched, highlighting its international dimension and the transnational networks that supported and underpinned its work. Specifically, I will introduce and discuss the first subscription list for the Dun Emer Press, revealing the planning and fanfare that accompanied the launch of W. B. Yeats' In the Seven Woods (1903). I will also consider other mechanisms of publicity such as the prospectuses, open days, and newspaper reports that were used to build support and profile for the enterprise. Information about the daily activities, philosophy and practices of the cooperative association can be gleaned from the letters, legal agreements, prospectuses, and careful business accounts produced by the women. Such frequently overlooked materials in the business sections of literary archives can be revealing, and by deploying this lens, this paper sheds light on the ambition and reach of the Dun Emer Press from its very inception.