Two new papers for west Dublin

Former GAA president Mr Peter Quinn and the Belfast-based Anderstown News are major investors behind two new newspapers serving west Dublin.

Mr Quinn, who previously invested in Ireland on Sunday, is listed as a shareholder at Relevance Publishing Ltd, the firm behind the two papers, the Lucan and Blanchardstown Gazettes.

The first edition of the weekly Lucan Gazette was launched yesterday by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney.

A sister paper, the Blanchardstown Gazette, will be published within six weeks.

The management of the papers consists of journalist and former Meath footballer Mr Liam Hayes, who previously worked on Ireland on Sunday and the Dublin Daily, and Mr Michael McGovern, formerly of Saatchi & Saatchi.

The two are also major shareholders in Relevance Publishing. The Anderstown News, a Republican orientated paper based in west Belfast, will print the two titles.

Mr McGovern said Lucan and Blanchardstown were two of the fastest growing areas in Ireland and there were no substantial titles aimed specifically at them. He said the company believed there was a significant gap in the market.

Mr Hayes, who lives in Lucan, said there were now 40,000 residents in the area. "Up to now, we haven't had a regional paper or radio station to reflect the interests, concerns and local issues for the people living there," he said.

He said Lucan's population had trebled in the last decade and was expected to double again by 2006.

"According to figures published by the Joint National Readership Survey, more than 1.5 million people in Ireland read a regional newspaper every week. Historically, local papers in Leinster enjoy excellent readership levels of approximately 75 per cent. Lucan, as a large population base, currently doesn't have a regional news outlet," he added.

The Lucan paper will sell for €1.50 and the company hopes sales will settle down at 8,000 to 9,000 copies with 30,000 to 35,000 readers.

The company will sell the paper in 400 retail outlets in the greater Lucan region especially among those based in the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. The company has also done a deal with Marks & Spencer to stock the paper.

Mr McGovern said about 11,000 copies of the first 64-page edition had been printed.

He said the paper would also give away about 1,000 copies a week for the next few weeks in a sampling exercise.