A new chapter for The Tuam Herald

Transfer of ownership completed

THE next exciting chapter in the proud history of The Tuam Herald took place on Monday when ownership of the title formally transferred to Celtic Media Group.

The Irish-owned Celtic Media Group owns local titles such as The Connaught Telegraph, Westmeath Independent, Meath Chronicle, The Anglo Celt, Westmeath Examiner, and Offaly Independent.

The announcement to sell The Tuam Herald to Celtic Media Group was made to staff and clients in late November, subject to approval from the Competition & Consumer Protection Commission and the Department of Media.

This approval was secured a fortnight ago and the formal ownership transfer was signed on Monday in the offices of TA O’Donoghue Canney & Co. Solicitors in Tuam.

David Burke, Managing Director of The Herald Printing & Publishing Company said: “We are delighted that Celtic Media Group is the new owner and custodian of The Tuam Herald brand, using its digital expertise, its established brands and over 400,000 social media followers, to secure and grow the title.”

Mr Burke said he and his fellow director, Mary Burke, “are pleased to exit the business, having gone far beyond normal retirement age. We know we are leaving it in good hands.

“Our family has had a very proud stewardship of The Tuam Herald, with three generations of the Burke family responsible for managing the title for almost a century and I was very proud to have taken on the baton from my father, Jarlath,” he said.

“The time has now come to hand over to a company which can best position the title for the challenges and opportunities to come.”

Frank Mulrennan, CEO of Celtic Media Group, said: “We have been business partners of The Tuam Herald for many years and know and respect the quality of the brand and its readership loyalty in Galway.”

Publishing continues as normal under Editor Siobhán Holliman and newly appointed Deputy Editor Mark Walsh.

New appointments on the sales team involve that of Aoife Burke as Senior Sales Administrator and Micheál Turner as Senior Sales Executive.

Advertisers and suppliers to The Tuam Herald will continue to liaise with The Tuam Herald sales team, the only change being that of a new bank account under CMNL Limited, which is the formal name for Celtic Media Group.

The Dublin Road office premises are not part of the transaction, but the title and its staff will continue to operate from there under the new ownership.

Celtic Media Group was formed in 2012 from a management buy-out, led by its CEO, Frank Mulrennan.

It acquired The Connaught Telegraph in Castlebar in 2014 and developed it to being among the best digital publishing newspaper in the country.

Celtic Media Group employs 85 journalists and sales executives across eight centres, including a graphic design and digital hub in Mullingar, which provides publishing services to its own titles and a range of peer local titles, including The Tuam Herald.

The Tuam Herald was first published in 1837 and is acknowledged as one of the finest local newspapers in the country, with many renowned journalists having worked there including former sports editor, Jim Carney, former RTE correspondent, Jim Fahy and former editors of The Irish Times (Kevin O’Sullivan) and Irish Independent (Gerry O’Regan).