Celtic Media Group to buy The Tuam Herald newspaper

Celtic Media Group (CMG) chief executive Frank Mulrennan. CMG is set to buy The Tuam Herald newspaper in Co Galway. Picture: Chris Bellew /Fennell Photography.

Celtic Media Group (CMG) is set to buy The Tuam Herald newspaper in Co Galway.

The proposed sale of The Tuam Herald, founded in 1837, is contingent on approval from the competition authorities and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.

All 12 staff will transfer to CMG, once the proposed sale is approved. The office premises on the Dublin Road in Tuam are not part of the transaction and the sale price has not been disclosed. Publishing continues as normal.

The Tuam Herald managing director David Burke said he and his fellow director Mary Burke “wished to exit the business, having gone far beyond normal retirement age”.

“Our family has had a very proud stewardship of The Tuam Herald, with three generations of the Burke family responsible for managing the title for almost a century and I was very proud to have taken on the baton from my father, Jarlath,” said Mr Burke. “The time has now come to hand over to a company which can best position the title for the challenges and opportunities to come.”

CMG already employs 72 workers and publishes local titles Meath Chronicle, The Anglo Celt, Westmeath Examiner, Westmeath Independent, Offaly Independent, and The Connaught Telegraph. It also operates a graphic design and digital hub in Mullingar providing publishing and design services. CMG has provided design services to The Tuam Herald for over a decade.

“We have been business partners of The Tuam Herald for many years and know and respect the quality of the brand and its readership loyalty in Galway. We look forward to working with editor, Siobhán Holliman, and the team, once this transaction is completed, early in the New Year," said CMG chief executive Frank Mulrennan.