THE Limerick Post newspaper, a weekly staple in homes across the city and county for the last four decades, was celebrated for its long-standing contribution to local life this week.
Príomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick City and County Council Cllr Catherine Slattery, held a civic reception in this publication’s honour in the Dooradoyle chambers, deeming it a real pleasure for her to help mark this “remarkable milestone” in the paper’s 40-year history.
“It’s 40 years of the Limerick Post, 40 years of telling Limerick stories, 40 years of being part of all our lives. The truth is the Limerick Post isn’t just a newspaper, it’s part of growing up in the city and county,” Cllr Slattery told those gathered for the reception.
“We all remember, back in the day, picking it up, maybe to check out the bargains, see what was on in the nightclubs at the weekend, or most importantly to see if your picture made it into the paper.
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“Those moments mattered, and they still do, but what makes the Limerick Post special is that it has always offered and continues to offer so much more than that.”
The Fianna Fáil woman hailed the Post as a trusted source of news, sport, community stories, debate, and identity for Limerick through four decades of change.
“Behind that success are great people, great Limerick people. We have to acknowledge publisher Will Ryan, who continues to lead the Limerick Post today, building on the vision of his father, Billy Ryan, the original owner and founder, a man who has had the foresight to create a platform that serves this city so well.
“In a world where information is everywhere – and not always accurate – trusted local journalism matters. It matters for community, it matters for accountability, and it matters for truth.
“The Limerick Post has been part of that for 40 years, and its role is just as important today as it ever has been. So tonight is about saying, thank you. Thank you for the stories. Thank you for the memories. Thank you for being part of who we are as a city and a county.”
Limerick Post owner and publisher Will Ryan told Council members and those gathered for the reception that he believes local media matters because local democracy matters.
A local newspaper, he insisted, records the life of a place, it asks questions, it keeps public life visible, and it gives people a shared account of what is happening in their own city and county.
“One of the things I’m proud of is that the Limerick Post is still free. Access to local news should not depend on whether people can afford a subscription or get past the paywall. Our job is to make sure people can still find us or find out what’s happening in their own city freely and every week,” Mr Ryan commented.
“For over 40 years, we had the privilege of telling some great stories, the great announcements, the openings, the campaigns, the cultural moments, the sporting achievements, the local heroes, the community victories, and we’ve been there for all those good days.
“But, we’ve also had the responsibility of being there when the story was painful, for tragedy, for grief, for loss, for difficult days. When people trust you with their story, especially at the hardest moment of their lives, you have to handle it with care.
“None of that work happens because of one person. A local newspaper is not a logo, a masthead, or a building. It is people, it is the people who answer the phone, chase the stories, take the photographs, sell the advertising, fix the systems, lay out pages, balance the books, and get the paper out when everyone else has gone home.”
Limerick fashion icon Celia Holman Lee, who attended the reception, was full of praise for the Limerick Post, telling the gathered crowd that “the Post is just such a unique newspaper in the city. I think it is incredible, because there isn’t a home, there isn’t a shop, there isn’t an office that doesn’t have the Post on the table or in the hall every Thursday.”
“It’s such a Limerick thing,” Ms Holman Lee concluded.