The Leitrim Observer

The Leitrim Observer is the oldest newspaper in Co. Leitrim. It was founded in 1889 by the Mulvey Family and was purchased in 1904 by Patrick Dunne (reputedly for £150), who served as owner and editor until 1968. Dunne was a staunch nationalist and was a member of the South Leitrim Brigade of the IRA, an affiliation that led to the Observer’s offices being burned by the Black and Tans in 1920. The paper remained out of commission for two years afterwards.

Even after Pat Dunne’s death, the paper remained in the Dunne family, with his nephew Greg taking over the reins at that point and working as editor until 1984. Greg was followed by his son (also called Pat Dunne) as editor and MD. 

The Observer was purchased for £IR1m in 1998 by Scottish Radio Holdings (SRH). Newspaper reports from the time suggest that the vendors of the title were “the Ryan Family’. Definitively establishing ownership in 1998 is complicated by the fact that filings to the Companies Records Office (CRO) for the Observer in that year do not include a list of shareholders. However, at the point of the SRH acquisition. CRO filings suggest that the directorship of the company was still dominated by the Dunne family. 

The Observer was purchased by Johnstown Press and then by Iconic Media in 2014. It is currently operated by Form Press Publishing Ltd., which is owned by Iconic Media. Iconic is owned by Media Concierge (Holdings) Limited, which is wholly owned by The Denmark Family, with UK businessman Malcolm Denmark as the controlling shareholder.

The Observer is printed weekly and operates the online outlet leinsterlive.ie, which largely mirrors the print edition, though is updated daily. The paper has a print circulation of approximately 6,500 and a print and online audience of 21,000. The print edition underwent a redesign in 2019, which included new columns and specific sections focused on ‘Community’ and ‘Leitrim Life’.