Connaught Telegraph goes into liquidation

One of the last family-owned newspapers in Ireland, the Connaught Telegraph, has gone into voluntary liquidation.

The weekly Castlebar-based newspaper, which was founded in 1828 as the Mayo Telegraph, has in recent weeks been operating under a temporary licence by Celtic Media Group. It will continue to be published.

The newspaper's proprietor, Dr John Connolly, and the Connolly family have ended their long ties with the newspaper after it ran into trading difficulties.

Seán McNamara, a business restructuring and recovery specialist, of the Dublin-based firm Smith & Williamson, has been appointed as the liquidator to the company.

The liquidator is expected to place advertisements in national newspapers from Sunday seeking expressions of interest from buyers.

It is understood Celtic Media Group will be among the interested parties. The owner of titles including the Anglo Celt, the Meath Chronicle, the Westmeath Examiner and the Westmeath Independent began providing pre-press services to the Mayo title, which is edited by Tom Gillespie, in 2011.