The Wexford People was founded in January 1853 by James Johnson and William Power. (Johnson subsequently left the paper to join the priesthood). It was originally launched as ‘The People’ and only became The Wexford People in 1994. In 1857, the paper incorporated the Wexford Guardian and became one of the first regional newspaper groups in the second half of the 19th century. William Power is still identified as the proprietor in a May 1858 edition of the paper, but by 1861 he was replaced by one Michael Power (presumably a relative).

By 1865, MJ Sutton and RA FitzGerald had taken over as owners, and even after their deaths, the paper continued to be published by their executors for some years. However, in August 1871 the paper was acquired by Edward Walsh who drove a significant expansion in the paper until his death in 1893. Bassett’s 1885 Wexford County Guide and Directory lists four papers under the proprietorship of Edward Walsh (then also editor of The Wexford People): the Wexford People, the New Ross Standard (est.1879), the Enniscorthy Guardian (1889), and the Wicklow People (1883). In its early days, The People was staunchly Parnellite and advocated increased autonomy for Ireland. 

The Walsh Family appears to have retained the People newspaper group until selling it to Independent Newspapers in 1972, a move which immediately contributed to the profitability of the new parent company. Indeed, this acquisition may have incentivised Tony O’Reilly’s decision to essentially replace the Murphy family’s status as the  major shareholder in Independent Newspapers in 1973. 

In 2019, Independent News and Media holdings were purchased by Mediahuis NV and re-branded as Mediahuis Ireland. Mediahuis NV owns news titles throughout the EU, including the entire Euractiv media network. The company’s largest individual shareholders are the Baert Family, the van Puijenbroek Family, and Thomas Leysen.

The Wexford People is printed on Wednesdays, and its circulation numbers are not publicly available. This lack of information is perhaps unsurprising as Mediahuis Ireland, the paper’s owner, foresees phasing out all print sales by 2033. The People has no website of its own but provides content for the Regionals section of the Irish Independent website.