Kilkenny People was founded in 1893 by Edward Thomas Keane and P.J. O’Keefe. Mr Keane, who also served as the paper’s first editor, was particularly active in the Irish independence movement and was a vocal supporter of the nationalist Sinn Féin party. As a result,  the paper was suppressed in both 1917 and 1919 by the authorities. According to a biography by Marie Coleman, Mr Keane was once named ‘the most troublesome gentleman with whom censorship had to deal’.

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%.

Sam Matthews is the Managing Editor of The Kilkenny People. He has worked at the newspaper since graduating from university in 2010. He joined as a journalist and later became a senior reporter. He was named editor in 2020.