Our Team
Djinn von Noorden, Publisher
Djinn von Noorden has worked as a literary editor, in-house and freelance, for over thirty years, editing both fiction and non-fiction for most major Irish and UK publishers. As Acting Publisher she works closely with the team at New Island, searching out the best writing from Ireland and overseeing its evolution from manuscript to finished book. She holds an MA in Modern and Medieval Languages from Cambridge University. Djinn has been reading in English, French and German since she was three years old and has a particular interest in twentieth-century American literature. She also owns too many books.
Mariel Deegan, Managing Director
Mariel Deegan has several years of experience at New Island and other publishing houses. Starting with a marketing focus, her role has grown over the years to encompass all areas of operations and in 2017, she was appointed General Manager. She oversees marketing, finance and sales, as well as having direct responsibility for rights and production management/print buying. She holds a Masters in Publishing Studies from Robert Gordon University, and Bachelors in English and History, and in Communications from Dublin City University. In addition to her work at New Island, she has been a board member of Publishing Ireland and Dublin Book Festival. She reads widely, mainly fiction with a smattering of non-fiction, and particularly enjoys historical fiction and short stories.
Aoife K. Walsh, Commissioning Editor
Aoife K. Walsh has worked in and around the international publishing industry since 2005. She has been an SYP mentor and editor-in-residence at the West Cork Literary Festival. Aoife has a BA in English and Philosophy from University College Cork and an MPhil in Medieval Literature, Language and Culture from Trinity College Dublin, and she has also completed courses at the Ryerson University Publishing Programme, Toronto.
Aoife is particularly interested in unconventional stories and lesser-known histories, challenging, big-hearted and diverse characters, brazen and illuminating takes on life. She has had the privilege of working with brilliant publishers throughout her career and seeks to continue this mentorship by nurturing writing and editorial talent, and improving access, diversity and inclusion within and around the publishing industry in Ireland.
Cassia Gilmartin, Production Executive
Cassia Gaden Gilmartin began her work in publishing as one of two founding editors behind Channel, an Arts Council-funded literary journal publishing work that fosters connection between people and planet in a time of ecological crisis. As well as publishing Channel in collaboration with a growing editorial team, she now builds supports for Ireland’s publishing community as Chair of SYP Ireland, with a special focus on bringing the strategies and work processes of corporate publishers into conversation with those of small, artist-led projects. She holds a BA in English Literature and Philosophy and an MPhil in Creative Writing, both from Trinity College Dublin.
As Production Executive at New Island, she works to ensure that each book is produced to a high quality, within budget and on schedule. She is particularly interested in innovative print design, emerging technologies and sustainable production.
Des Doyle, Marketing and Publicity Manager
Des Doyle joined the New Island team in 2023, following on from 4 years as a senior bookseller and events manager at Hodges Figgis bookstore in Dublin. His previous roles span marketing, event management and journalism. He holds qualifications in these subjects from Dublin Business School and the Fitzwilliam Institute. He reads widely, with an emphasis on non-fiction. His favourite book of 2022 was Three Castles Burning by Donal Fallon.
Mary Deegan, Accounts
Mary Deegan began her role in finance as a QFA and moved into the accounts area about 9 years ago. She has been working with New Island Books since 2017. It is a challenging and very rewarding role. She oversees all aspects of the accounts in the office which include credit control, accounts receivable and payable and also all aspects of payroll and revenue.
She reads quite a lot and enjoys crime novels particularly, but she also loves Irish books with that great Irish sense of humour!
Edwin Higel, Founding Publisher
Edwin Higel is the Founding Publisher of New Island. He graduated in English and German literature as well as linguistics at the University of Tübingen, and also taught German at Trinity College Dublin and the Goethe Institut there. Subsequently, he has been involved in Irish bookselling and publishing for more than forty years. He is responsible for oversight of all areas of the business, and for the commissioning of new titles in consultation with his team.