‘For it to come to an end like this is heartbreaking’
Echo journalist Anna Hayes who joined the newspaper in 2011 was shocked to learn that the company had gone into liquidation.
‘I’m absolutely devastated. I’ve worked in The Echo for nearly six years and have enjoyed it immensely - from day one right up to now. For it to come to an end in the way that it did is heartbreaking,’ she said.
‘For me, the best thing about The Echo has always been the people - those we met but especially those we worked with and it is all of them that I’ll miss most of all’, she added.
She said staff were called to a meeting in the Enniscorthy headquarters of the newspaper at 5 pm last Thursday evening shortly before the news broke publicly after the High Court order was made.
Everyone was shell-shocked by the news and did not see it coming. ‘When you get a call like that you are expecting something but I don’t think anyone expected to hear that their jobs were gone,’ said Anna.
Staff were informed that they were being placed on a temporary lay-off for a 30-day period and at the end of that time they will be made redundant unless a buyer comes along and takes over the company.
Some members of staff have been working with the newspaper for up to 30 years.
‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet. It will probably sink in with us on Monday morning,’ said Anna.