THE PUBLISHER OF two free local Dublin newspapers, the Northside People and the Southside People, has closed its business and is seeking to appoint a liquidator.

The North Dublin Publications Ltd group, which is partly owned by Celtic Media Group, informed the papers’ 17 staff of the decision yesterday.

In a statement, the directors of North Dublin Publications Limited said they had “closed the business and convened a meeting to formally appoint a liquidator”.

A meeting of creditors is being convened for Tuesday 19 May at which a liquidator will be formally appointed. 

The closure was due to a “collapse in revenues arising from the Covid-19 lockdown, allied to high operational costs including an expensive lease, and obligations under the Companies’ Acts”.

“There have been no revenues since publishing was suspended on 20 March as the Covid-related crisis began to impact on business and this has forced the company into liquidation,” the statement said.

In a statement to staff, the directors said: “Northside People and Southside People are titles with over 30 years of serving the local communities of Dublin and it is with deep regret that we have been forced into this decision, mindful of our duties to the company, its staff and its creditors.”

It continued: “We wish to thank our colleagues for the contribution which they have made to the titles over the years. They have operated with professionalism and courtesy and it is such a shame that this business in no longer viable.”

Jack Gleeson, a journalist who writes for the Northside People, said it was “very sad to see the end of what was a huge part of my life for more than two decades”.  

A number of journalists, writers and broadcasters have been paying tribute to the work done by the publications, and the opportunities the papers have given young journalists.

“Every newspaper that closes reduces diversity in the media and reduces the range of news and opinion available to the public,” the Press Ombudsman Twitter account tweeted out in response to the news.

Northside and Southside People, free newspapers in Dublin, have closed. Business models based exclusively on advertising revenue are in trouble.