Historic week for the celtlooking to the futurewhile respecting the past

I feel the weight of 169 years of history on my shoulders this week as I put to bed the last ever broadsheet edition of The Anglo-Celt, first published in 1846. Many fine editors have gone before me, each of them putting their own stamp on one of Ireland’s most successful regional newspapers in terms of its penetration.

Each editor was integral in developing and modernising the ‘paper of record’ as the decades passed - be that through the move to digital publishing, the arrival of full colour in the paper or whatever big development each era brought.

I, as editor, was lucky to inherit such a proud tradition and such a strong brand as ‘The Anglo-Celt’ title. Our advertisers and readers are fiercely loyal, have a real sense of ownership of their community newspaper and we are grateful to them for their long and continued support and engagement. I felt a strong sense of responsibility in taking over at the helm of the paper in 2009 to preserve all that made the title great and to serve those advertisers, readers and communities.

I wanted the Celt to continue to be a voice for the people - reporting the stories and issues that are important to Cavan people and to include, of course, sports coverage, photos and information on community events - integral parts of our product.

Compact Celt

Six years later and, as we look forward to the future this week with the first issue of the new compact Celt to be published next Wednesday, the history of the Celt and those same considerations are never far from my mind.

The message we want to convey that while we are changing and will be a little different, all that has made the Celt great down through the years - the traditions and values - will be maintained and always remain at the core of our journalistic and ethical values. What is different, without giving too much away ahead of next week’s launch, will be a much more vibrant and colourful Celt in a much more accessible format for readers who are increasingly on the move.

Expect 96 pages with new columnists and additional lifestyle pages such as fashion and beauty, health and an extended ‘from the archives’ section. We hope you will like our bold new look but don’t forget that the Celt team remain in the same location on the same contact details and are always happy to hear from you.

The compact Celt will be a change for the better.

Here's a sneak peek of our fashion & beauty pages

VIDEO: Play the video below to see a quick flick through our last broadsheet edition