RTÉ Dragon and publisher Norah Casey said yesterday it was "a Herculean effort" for her publishing group to return to profit last year, writes GORDON DEEGAN.

Harmonia, the company that publishes Irish Tatlerand U, recorded profits before tax of €331,571 in 2010, according to results just filed at Companies Office.

That compares with a loss of €193,140 in 2009.

Ms Casey, who is chief executive of the group, said profits last year “will be pretty similar” to 2010.

“We have worked very, very hard,” said Ms Casey of the figures which show a 12 per cent rise in sales to €6.5 million.

But she added that “in order to continue to grow, we need to make bigger profits. They are not good enough.”

She said Harmonia’s annus horribilis in 2009 required a major turnaround in performance, which had been done by “sweating the asset”.