The Midland Tribune

Rev. Robert Little was one of the three founding curates of the Midland Tribune in Birr, Co. Offaly. Along with his fellow clergymen, he helped secure the initial investment of over £1,000 needed to establish the newspaper, including a £600 loan from the National Bank in Ennis and a further £500 raised through £10 shares sold to 40 to 50 subscribers who were nearly all Birr locals. From the outset, Little contributed articles to the paper, while the clerics appointed John (Jack) Powell of Ennis as manager of the Tribune at its premises in Cumberland Street (now Emmet Street), Birr.

Rev. Denis Sheehan served as one of the three clerical founders of the Midland Tribune. He was instrumental in raising the capital necessary to launch the newspaper, participating in both the bank loan arrangement from the National Bank in Ennis and the subsequent fundraising through shares represented by prominent Birr figures including James Dooley, a poor law guardian of the Birr Union and president of the Birr Land League, and Edward Treacy, a Birr town commissioner and businessman. Like his fellow curates, Sheehan was an active contributor to the newspaper's content from its inception.

Rev. Patrick Brennan completed the trio of founding curates who established the Midland Tribune. He shared in the financial responsibilities of launching the newspaper, including securing the initial investment in excess of £1,000. Together with Revs. Little and Sheehan, Brennan contributed articles to the paper and helped appoint John Powell as manager, who in turn selected John St. George Joyce as the Tribune's first editor. Powell, who had formerly worked on the Clare Examiner, spent 20 years with the Tribune until his death in 1901 at the age of 45.

Malcolm Denmark is an advertising executive who established Mediaforce UK in 1985, an advertising agency which represented media owners to advertising agencies. At the time, Mediaforce focused mainly on regional outlets across the UK. However, the business now includes the production and distribution of inserts in local and national titles. It has also expanded into print and online outlet ownership through an aggressive acquisition policy focusing on regional and local media publishers in the UK and Ireland. 
 
Since the establishment of Mediaforce, Malcolm Denmark’s business interests have expanded in this sector. He has established Media Concierge (Holdings) Ltd., which includes several subsidiaries, including Mediaforce. Denmark has also ventured into business activities that encompass a full range of advertising services such as representation, marketing, publishing, and distribution for Iconic Media in Ireland (Mediaforce Ireland/Formpress), which is the news publishing section of his business. In addition to media businesses, Malcolm Denmark also holds significant property interests and is the owner of multiple race horses.
 
Malcolm Denmark owns 75.2% of Media Concierge, alongside his son Callum Nicolas Denmark’s 15%, his daughter Tara Clare Denmark’s 9% and Valerie Mary Denmark (born 1957) 0.76%.

John O'Callaghan has worked for the Midland Tribune for more than 40 years. He first joined the paper in 1981 and was promoted to editor in 1990.

Derek Fanning is the Deputy Editor of the Midland Tribune and has worked at the paper since 1993. He is a member of the Fanning family, which owned the paper from 1901 until 2003, and he follows in the footsteps of several Fanning family members who worked at the Tribune during the last 125 years.