Irish-language enthusiast and talented book editor

Bríghid Uí Éigeartaigh: Bríghid Uí Éigeartaigh, who has died aged 85, was a partner in the Irish-language publishing house, Sáirséal agus Dill, that she her husband, Seán Sáirséal Ó hÉigeartaigh, founded in 1945. Following his sudden death in 1967 she took over the running of the business, adding 50 titles to the company's list over the next 13 years.

Through their association with the monthly magazine Comhar in the 1940s, the couple became aware of the need of writers such as Máirtín Ó Cadhain and Séamus Ó Néill for an alternative to the government publishing company, An Gúm.

I 1945, le cabhair £300 a fuair sé le huacht aintín leis, Eilís Dill nic Gabhann, bhunaigh sé féin agus Bríghid Sáirséal agus Dill. Bhí sé mar aidhm acu litríocht nua-aimseartha a fhoilsiú i nGaeilge, soar ó chinsearacht, agus thairis sin gach gné den fhoilsiú - cló, dearadh, déanamh agus margaíocht - bheith ar an gcaighdeán is airde.

The establishment by Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge of a bookclub and the institution of a system of publication grants, through Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge, were of enormous help in keeping the company afloat.

Seán was the company's public face. He dealt with authors, printers and public relations while working as a full-time civil servant in the Department of Finance. Most of the detailed work on manuscripts fell to Bríghid. Notwithstanding her background in science, she had first-rate literary judgment, and was an excellent text editor.

Their first 20 titles, published between 1945 and 1955, included Ó Cadhain's groundbreaking novel, Cré na Cille; Seán Ó Riordán's striking poetry collection Eireaball Spideoige; Máirtín Ó Direáin's Rogha Dánta with drawings by Nano Reid; the popular anthologies Nuabhéarsaoíocht and Nuascéalaíocht; original short stories, Dúil, by Liam O'Flaherty; Mícheál Mac Liammóir's memoir Ceo Meala Lá Seaca; as well as the first of Críostóir Ó Floinn's historical romances for younger readers, An Claíomh Geal.

Dá fheabhas na leabhra, margadh beag fós is ea margadh na Gaeilge.

Ní raibh Sáirséal agus Dill slán ariamh ó thaobh airgid. Ba mhinic an comhlacht i mbaol, agus níorbh fhéidir ariamh do Sheán éirí as a phost lae.

Nuair a cailleadh é i 1967 chabhraigh Rúnaí na Roinne Airgidis, TK Whitaker, chun deontas speisialta Stáit a chur ar fail d'fhonn saothar Sháirséal agus Dill a chaomhnú. Ghlac Bríghid cúram cúrsaí clódóireachta agus táirgíochta uirthi féin, chomh maith leis an eagarthóireacht a bhí mar chúram aici ó thuas.

Nuair a shroich sí aois 60 bliana i 1980, shocraigh sí go raibh a dóthain déanta aici, agus rinne sí socrú le Caoimhín Ó Marcaigh stoc agus cearta an chomhlachta a ghlacadh ar láimh, ar mhaithe le seirbhís leanúnach a sholáthar do scríbhneoirí agus do léitheoirí an chomhlachta.

Born in Killeeneen, near Craughwell, Co Galway, in 1920, she was one of the six children of Séamus Ó Maoileoin and his wife, Bríghid Bhreathnach. Her father, the author of B'fhiú an Braon Fola, lost several teaching posts because of his uncompromising republicanism. The headmaster of Newtown School, Waterford, Arnold Marsh, recognising his worth as a teacher of Irish, employed him; he also taught at Bishop Foy School, which Bríghid attended.

A bright student, she went up to Trinity College Dublin in 1938 to read experimental science, having been awarded an entrance scholarship and sizarship. Her social life revolved around Cumann Gaelach an Choláiste, one of Trinity's few mixed societies and she enjoyed the weekly céilí at Trinity Hall. She graduated in 1942 with a science degree and a degree in French and German.

After graduating she taught for a year, first in Tullamore, Co Offaly, where her parents were then living, and later in Ballymena, Co Antrim. Her landlady disapproved of her weekend recreation: "You know, Miss Malone, you will come to a bad end, cycling through the Glens on a Sunday morning. It's not fitting on the Sabbath."

Her marriage in 1943 brought an end to her career in education as married women were prohibited from teaching in the Free State.

She was in 2003 conferred with an honorary D.Litt by the National University of Ireland at Maynooth. Presenting her for the degree, Eamonn Ó Cíosáin said: "Is iomaí feachtas ar thacaigh sí leis, agus is iomaí seasamh misniûil a ghlac sí ar son chearta agus deiseanna forbartha na teanga Ghaeilge. D'eiligh sí cearta don teanga, saoirse agus cead cainte do na scríbhneoirí, agus níl iontu sin ach dhá ghné de rud ar mór ag Bríghid é, saoirse na muintire."

Another cause she championed was that of the pre-1968 widows of civil servants. While a pension scheme for widows of civil servants was introduced in 1968, the widows of civil servants who died before that were excluded from benefit of the scheme. She played a leading role in the Association of Widows of Civil Servants' hard-fought, protracted and ultimately successful campaign to redress the injustice.

She was also a founder of and contributor to a fund to provide bursaries that enabled students from An Ceathrú Rua, where she and her family holidayed, to avail of a university education.

Her son Cian and daughter Aoileen survive her.

Bríghid Uí Éigeartaigh: born April 24th, 1920; died March 19th, 2006