About

Connemara Literary Pilgrimages operates under the auspices of Artisan House publishing and Books at One bookshop and café.  We are located adjacent to the Connemara National Park and about 4 km from  Kylemore Abbey & Visitor Centre.

Established in 2013 Artisan House creates beautifully illustrated high-quality books and publications on a richly diverse range of subjects including poetry, visual arts, photography, music, food and lifestyle.  They have won many awards for the quality of their publications.  These include the IPA Photography shortlist 2019 for Tapestry of Light by Tina Claffey; Gourmand Best In The World Cookbook award, 2016, for Sea Gastronomy by Michael O’Meara and Gourmand Best In The World Cookbook award, 2018, for Oyster Gastronomy by Máirín Uí Chomáin & Michael O’Meara); and in 2017 their photgraphy book Connemara & Aran by Walter Pfeiffer Irish Book Awards shortlist. 

In 2021 we added a bookshop and café, Books at One, to our premises, a former forge, in Letterfrack village.  The forge was built in 1850 by a Quaker couple, James & Mary Ellis, the founders of the village of Letterfrack, as part of their famine relief work.  It was still in use as a forge when the Christian Brothers operated the Letterfrack Industrial School until 1973.   It now houses our bookshop, café, and publishing business. 

The business is owned and managed by Vincent Murphy and Mary Ruddy.

Vincent Murphy is the creative director of Artisan House and co-manager of Books at One with his wife, Mary Ruddy. Vincent has over 20 years’ experience in the design and publishing sectors. This gives him experience in the development, management and delivery of projects across all marketing channels including book packaging, advertising, promotions and digital. Vincent has created some of Ireland’s best-known brands across sectors including education, financial services, leisure and food. Vincent has a passion for all things creative.

Mary Ruddy is the editorial director of Artisan House and co-manager of Books at One with her husband, Vincent Murphy. Her background is in rural development, community media, in international non-governmental organizations, as well as an independent radio producer and editor. She holds Masters Degrees in Rural Development (MRD) and in International Human Rights Law (LLM).  Books are her passion.