Michael Moynihan: Saying farewell to the ‘captain’ of Irish publishing

On one occasion I pitched a book to him about data and numbers and their growing importance in the GAA. “Here’s an important number,” he said. “How many people will buy a book about the number of wides in a hurling game?”

Fergal Tobin. Picture: New Island Books/Twitter

Fergal Tobin, who passed away last week, was rightfully described as the “captain” of Irish publishing after a long and illustrious career with Gill & Macmillan, now Gill Books.

Born in Dublin and educated at UCD, he published a wide variety of authors in many subjects, as well as writing his own books on Irish history — The Irish Difference, on Irish independence, was published last year.