Mayo Echo
Encyclopedia
The Mayo Echo was a free, weekly tabloid newspaper circulated in County Mayo
, Ireland
. The paper was first published in 2004 and closed in April 2009. The paper claimed it had one of the largest distributions of the 'five county' newspapers "eventually reaching more than 24,000 copies every week." (from page 2 of the last online edition - edition 221, 15 April 2009). The paper was delivered door-to-door in Ballina
, Castlebar
, Westport
and Claremorris
and was also published online every week in PDF format.
The paper had a reputation for tackling controversial subjects using blunt language, and publishing articles criticising what it considered to be examples of corruption or malpractice in local government and other local organisations - in fact, the last online issue had an apology on the front cover relating to an earlier story (dated 30 April 2008) alleging that a local councillor acted improperly when handling planning matters relating to business premises.
As might be expected, the relationship between the Mayo Echo and the local council (Mayo County Council
) was not amicable, and in the last online edition, editor
Tony Geraghty stated that there had been a three-year boycott of the paper by the Council. It is understood that the Mayo Echo was not available in the Mayo County Library and the Council operated an advertising boycott.
. The article sparked hot debate in the local and national press, on national radio and online forums - mainly over its use of the word 'pervert' in association with homosexuality, and the fact that photographs were printed of one person allegedly involved, with their vehicle number plate clearly visible. The editor
of the Mayo Echo (Tony Geraghty) objected to some comments published on the regional bulletin board at http://www.castlebar.ie/ about the original article. He contacted the Web site requesting the comments be removed and an apology published. An apology was published and the comments were removed, but new ones appeared, including one allegedly threatening to burn down the Mayo Echo offices.. Tony Geraghty then issued a threat of legal action against the Web site and, as a result, the entire site was removed by the Site Managers and replaced with a commentary on the events. Mr Geraghty then demanded a list of the names of all the site moderators and contributors, but the Site Managers refused this request. In quick succession, a campaign Web site was set up (savecastlebarie.org - no longer online), and groups were formed on Facebook
and Myspace
. Eventually, Mr Geraghty dropped his threat of legal action and the full web site at http://www.castlebar.ie/ returned shortly afterward.
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The paper was first published in 2004 and closed in April 2009. The paper claimed it had one of the largest distributions of the 'five county' newspapers "eventually reaching more than 24,000 copies every week." (from page 2 of the last online edition - edition 221, 15 April 2009). The paper was delivered door-to-door in Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
, Castlebar
Castlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
, Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
and Claremorris
Claremorris
Claremorris , is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. The population of Claremoris in the 2011 Census was 3,979....
and was also published online every week in PDF format.
The paper had a reputation for tackling controversial subjects using blunt language, and publishing articles criticising what it considered to be examples of corruption or malpractice in local government and other local organisations - in fact, the last online issue had an apology on the front cover relating to an earlier story (dated 30 April 2008) alleging that a local councillor acted improperly when handling planning matters relating to business premises.
As might be expected, the relationship between the Mayo Echo and the local council (Mayo County Council
Mayo County Council
Mayo County council is the local authority which is responsible for County Mayo in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The county council is governed by the Local Government...
) was not amicable, and in the last online edition, editor
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
Tony Geraghty stated that there had been a three-year boycott of the paper by the Council. It is understood that the Mayo Echo was not available in the Mayo County Library and the Council operated an advertising boycott.
Lough Lannagh article, May 2008
In May 2008, the Mayo Echo published an article about alleged homosexual activity at a local beauty spot in the town of CastlebarCastlebar
Castlebar is the county town of, and at the centre of, County Mayo in Ireland. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years...
. The article sparked hot debate in the local and national press, on national radio and online forums - mainly over its use of the word 'pervert' in association with homosexuality, and the fact that photographs were printed of one person allegedly involved, with their vehicle number plate clearly visible. The editor
Editor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
of the Mayo Echo (Tony Geraghty) objected to some comments published on the regional bulletin board at http://www.castlebar.ie/ about the original article. He contacted the Web site requesting the comments be removed and an apology published. An apology was published and the comments were removed, but new ones appeared, including one allegedly threatening to burn down the Mayo Echo offices.. Tony Geraghty then issued a threat of legal action against the Web site and, as a result, the entire site was removed by the Site Managers and replaced with a commentary on the events. Mr Geraghty then demanded a list of the names of all the site moderators and contributors, but the Site Managers refused this request. In quick succession, a campaign Web site was set up (savecastlebarie.org - no longer online), and groups were formed on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Eventually, Mr Geraghty dropped his threat of legal action and the full web site at http://www.castlebar.ie/ returned shortly afterward.
External links
- Mayo Echo — website of the newspaper
- Castlebar.ie web site (shut down as of 3 June 2008, reopen as of April 2009)
- Facebook group relating to the shut down of castlebar.ie
- MySpace group relating to the shut down of castlebar.ie
- RTE (Ireland's national radio broadcaster) podcast covering a broadcast about the controversial article published in the Mayo Echo in May 2008 (MP3) References to Web site shut down at 33:45 and 41:00