Presidential praise for Ireland’s Own

November 2002

The centenary year celebrations of the Ireland’s Own magazine, published in Wexford by People Newspapers, are coming to a high-profile conclusion.

Representatives of the magazine recently visited Aras an Uachtaráin, where they were received by President Mary McAleese to mark the centenary year milestone, and on Tuesday next, RTE will screen an hour-long documentary on the magazine.

The President and her husband Martin accepted a specially bound copy of the Ireland’s Own Centenary Year issue from Phil Murphy (monthly editor), Ger Walsh (Managing Director of People Newspapers), and former editor, Gerry Breen. The weekly magazine editor, Sean Nolan, was unable to attend as he was out of the country on holidays.

The Ireland’s Own group was very warmly received and the President was fully aware of the magazine and its reputation. She was very gracious and complimentary in her comments.

The President will feature as the cover story in the Ireland’s Own Christmas annual, which goes on sale next week.

In a special message, the President wished all involved with the magazine and its readers ‘a big happy birthday’.

‘One of the things I love about the magazine is that it is a cynicism-free zone…it’s full of things that uplift you.

‘I like the kind of the world that the magazine represents, a happier world of kindness, generosity, and goodness, and to be doing that for a hundred years is a fantastic thing to be celebrating.’

Another highlight of the Centenary Year celebrations takes place next week, when the full-length documentary on the magazine will be screened on RTE 1 television as part of the ‘ True Lives’ series at 10.10 p.m. on Tuesday night, following the main news and ‘Prime Time’. This will mark the centenary to the day from when the magazine was first published in November 1902.

The hour-long programme takes a detailed look at Ireland’s Own and its various facets. Wexford and Wexford people obviously feature quite strongly, but interviews were also conducted in Dublin, Tipperary, Kerry, Waterford, Cork, Westmeath, Wicklow, Northern Ireland, and other places. It was shot last year when Gerry Breen and Phil Murphy were the editors, prior to Sean Nolan joining the team on Gerry’s retirement last January.

The whole programme offers an interesting insight into what Ireland’s Own is all about and how it has retained its remarkable popularity throughout Ireland, Britain, and further afield for 100 years.