Dermott Barrett
Trading as: Barrett Business Communications
Dublin 4
Mobile phone: 00353 86 2577 864
Professional memberships
Certified Member of the Institute of Internal Communication (UK) Professional member of the Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP; UK) Member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland Member of the National Union of Journalists Member of the Reedsy Editing Community
Educational qualifications
BA (Hons.) University College Dublin. Dip. Adv. TU Dublin. Dip. Plain English (UK). Cert. TEFL (UK).
Training and professional development
In-house training and extensive writing and editing experience in PR, journalism, corporate communications, advertising and publishing, topped up by continuous professional development courses.
Languages
Basic French
Experience
I commenced my career as a copywriter in advertising and later worked as a freelance writer and consultant before joining the major international accounting and consultancy firm KPMG as head of communications and publications where I remained for over a decade before setting up my own public relations/communications consultancy – Barrett Business Communications. In recent years I have been heavily involved in book editing while undertaking other projects in corporate communications, public service publishing, plain English, PR and copywriting.
Services offered
Writing/rewriting, ghost writing, proofreading, copy editing, academic editing, business editing, Government and public services document editing, ESL editing, plain English, copywriting, self-publishing support, research, journalism, fact checking, style guide creation, reading and assessment of manuscripts.
Media
Books – both non-fiction and fiction, memoirs, company histories, corporate reports and proposals, print material, web content, marketing and promotional literature.
Subject areas
Public health, environmental issues, history, art/architecture/art history, contemporary art, tourism, finance, accountancy, insurance, law, corporate communications, education, fundraising, philanthropy, medicine and marketing.
Clients include
Irish Academic Press/Merrion, New Island Books, History Press, Carrowmore Publishing, self-published authors in Ireland, the UK and The United States, Health Service Executive (HSE), Department of Health, UCD, UCC, TCD, Irish Universities Association, Jones Group, Zoosh Digital, Tixserve, Merrion Square Interiors, Boyle Design Group, The Government of North Macedonia, International Labour Organisation (UN).
Examples of work undertaken
Recent book projects include: The Adoption Machine: The Dark History of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes And the Inside Story on How Tuam 800 became a Global Scandal: Paul Jude Redmond; Who Do I Think I Am – A Memoir: Homan Potterton; Being New York, Being Irish: Edited by Terry Golway; Knockfane, a novel by Homan Potterton; Frenzy and Betrayal: The Anatomy of a Political Assassination: Alan Shatter. Letters to My Father by Kathleen A. Balglay, 2021. Dreams – 50 essays to celebrete the first 50 years of the University of Limerick UL) 2022.
Testimonials
‘Dermott – with grateful thanks for a clever and sensitive edit’ – dedication by author Homan Potterton, in his book Who Do I think I Am – A Memoir.
‘Once the draft was refined, it went to Dermott Barrett in Dublin, Ireland – a gifted reader who provided a valuable European perspective on the book’, acknowledgement by Kathleen Balglay on the publication of her book Letters to my Father — Excavating a Jewish Identity in Poland and Belarus, published by Bashert Press, San Diego, California.
Additional information
I work well under pressure, always meeting deadlines, within agreed budgets. I am also happy to work as part of a team in the achievement of a common goal – for example acting as editor of a major book entitled Jones Engineering Group – A Journey Across Three Centuries. (Copy on request).