Malahide area history – A brief history of Malahide News

Malahide area history – A brief history of Malahide News

By Brian Madden

In 1979 Junior Chamber (Esmond Reilly, Finbar Holland and others), the Chamber of Commerce (Rory McDevitt) and Malahide Community Council (Nora Owen and John Cleary) saw the need for a local newspaper to cover all aspects of life in Malahide. It would create community awareness and report on the activities of the many clubs, associations and societies in the area. In jointly launching Malahide News they could hardly have realised that it would last for twelve years, produce 88 issues, and become an important record of the social and historical story of Malahide. In 1981 the Community Council assumed overall responsibility for the publication and set up a sub-committee of highly committed and talented volunteers, including John and Phil Barry, Jim Duignan, Michael Howard, Tom Potts, Senan Keating, Tim Hickey and others. Advertising by local firms was critically important to the paper, as it was free to the public. Deliveries to about 3,000 households were made each month in addition to supplies to local shops. Working to a tight schedule, all the latest news, sporting events, school activities, tidy towns, planning issues, festivals and more were given coverage. Professional photographs by John Barry enlivened most of the stories. Christmas 1990 saw the final issue of Malahide News. Source: Malahide Lions Club