THE DEATH has taken place of one of the longest-serving newspaper editors in the country.
Liam O'Regan (72), who owned and edited the Southern Starnewspaper in west Cork for the past 50 years, died at the weekemd.
Mr O'Regan's involvement in the Southern Starcan be traced back to his father, Joe, a native of Aughadown outside Skibbereen, who became a director of the paper in 1919.
He gradually acquired the interests of other shareholders, completing the buy-out in 1949.
The paper, which is Co Cork's largest circulating regional weekly broadsheet, was founded in 1889 as a nationalist alternative to the more unionist-inclined Skibbereen Eagle.
Following independence and the foundation of the State, the influence of the Skibbereen Eaglebegan to wane and the Southern Star took over its rival.
Mr O'Regan took over as editor of the Southern Starin the autumn of 1958 at the age of just 22. Throughout his editorship of the paper, which continued right up until his death, Mr O'Regan forthrightly expressed his strong views on the neglect of rural areas such as west Cork.
Mr O'Regan told the Sunday Business Postfour years ago that he had had four offers to buy the newspaper in recent years but had rejected them as he wanted the paper, which employs about 30 people and has a circulation of more than 15,000, to remain in the family.
Always keen to avail of the latest technological advances, Mr O'Regan continued to invest in updating the paper's capabilities with extra colour units having been added to the company's printing press just last month.
Mr O'Regan, who had been ill for a number of months, died peacefully at home at Abbeystrewery just outside Skibbereen, on Friday night last.
He is survived by his wife Maeve, daughters Lisa, Fiona (Field), Breffni (Horgan), Nadine, son Neil, his brother Kevin and sister his Eleanor (O'Sullivan).
Mr O'Regan's removal took place at St Patrick's Cathedral in Skibbereen last night. His funeral will take place today with Requiem Mass in the cathedral at 2pm followed by burial at the New Cemetery, Skibbereen.
