Weekly newspaper, The Clare People has announced it has printed it’s last edition.
Founded in July 2005 by Domhnall Slattery and Sean Lyne, the paper added variety and further choice to the people of the county. As of July 2019, in the region of 13 people were employed by the media outlet based on the Mill Rd in Ennis. The Clare Echo understands that staff were made aware of the decision on Tuesday morning with an announcement made to the public shortly before 1pm.
Over the past decade and more, the paper won numerous awards, it was recognised for its coverage by the Law Society of Ireland, the GAA and the Camogie Association among other organisations.
In a statement on it’s website and social media accounts, The Clare People announced “with deep sadness and regret” that the newspaper has printed their last edition. “Since June 2005 we have strived to deliver a quality product to the people of Clare every single Tuesday morning without fail. This we have done in the midst of severe economic and technological headwinds. However today’s edition of August 13, 2019 is our last”.
Management cited declining circulation and advertising plus the rise of internet and online free platforms for sustained losses. “Unfortunately our newspaper cannot continue to sustain the losses we have incurred in delivering a quality product to the people of Clare on a weekly basis in the face of consistently declining circulation and advertising revenues. As a consequence of the rapid impact of the internet and free online platforms, the marketplace for quality local newspapers has changed fundamentally”.
“This is a sad day for staff and all who have been part of The Clare People journey. We are immensely proud of the contribution of all our journalists, photographers, sales and marketing teams, admin and office staff have made to our county, our culture and our people for so long. We would like to thank our loyal readers and all those who have supported us for the past fourteen years. We deeply appreciated that support,” the statement concluded.
