Members of the Save The Irish Post campaign are meeting at Parliament this evening to discuss ways of rescuing the paper, which went into liquidation last month.
Tonight’s meeting will discuss alternatives to the closure and is hosted by the all-party parliamentary group on the Irish in Britain, chaired by Chris Ruane MP.
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The meeting will hear from sacked staff and management and ‘make the case that there are viable alternatives to closure”, according to a notice on the NUJ’s website.
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On Monday, Ruane sponsored an early day motion on the campaign.
It said:
That this House expresses its concern at the sudden decision of the Cork-based Thomas Crosbie Holdings to close the longest running, largest circulation community weekly newspaper for the Irish in the UK; notes the belief of former staff and management that viable alternatives to closure are available and their launch of a community campaign to `Save the Irish Post’; further notes that the Federation of Irish Societies, with more than 150 affiliated clubs and societies throughout England and Wales, has described the Post as a central pillar of the community; further notes that the Irish Post has, for more than forty years, been the `voice of the Irish in Britain’, defended the community against discrimination, promoted peace and reconciliation, celebrated Irish identity, ethnicity, history and culture; showcased Irish talent and promoted trade and commerce; believes that a vibrant and diverse community press and media is vital to the promotion of good relations in society; and supports the Irish community in its battle to save this vital resource.
The motion already has 45 signatures.
The Irish Post went into liquidation in August with the loss of 10 jobs, with the company blaming the ‘severe economic downturn and significantly reduced advertising revenues”.
Two former columnists at the paper have since written articles on its closure for Press Gazette: Paul Donovan and Joe Horgan.
Tonight’s meeting takes place at 7.30pm in Committee Room 7 in the House of Commons. The Save the Irish Post campaign can be contacted via email at
savetheirishpost@hotmail.co.uk or by calling Fiona Audley, chair of the campaign group, on 07859824949 or fionaaudley@hotmail.com
To RSVP or send messages of support contact Chris Ruane’s office at Martin.Collins@parliament.uk
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