CMNL Ltd.
CMNL Ltd own and operate the local print newspapers and their associated websites making up the Celtic Media Group. According to the Celtic Media website the total weekly print reach is reported as 212,000 people, however no year or source is provided for this information. There are six newspapers in the group, The Anglo Celt in Cavan; Meath Chronicle in Navan; Westmeath Examiner in Mullingar and Westmeath Independent in Athlone/Roscommon and finally The Offaly Independent, a free newspaper.
While individually each title reaches a relatively small local audience the newspapers of the Celtic Media Group are included due to the significant scale of their combined reach. Within the Irish electoral system of Proportional Representation by single transferable vote (PR-STV) local politics play a significant role in elections, with seats won by small margins. Local issues and campaigns can have a considerable impact on the outcome of national and EU elections in Ireland.
Formation of The Celtic Media Group:
In the 1990s and early 2000s Irish local newspapers became attractive to international, particularly UK, investors with a number of takeovers and mergers between Irish and UK publishers occurring during this time. Scottish publisher Dunfermline Press entered the Irish Market buying the Meath Chronicle (2002) and The Anglo-Celt (2004), followed by three other titles to form the Celtic Media Group Ltd. The company spent €65 Million acquiring this group of titles. Following financial difficulties at the Dunfermline parent company, the group was bought out by the Celtic Media Group’s senior management team in 2012. The management consortium paid €5.5 Million to purchase all of the group titles. In 2014 they added the Connaught Telegraph to the group after this paper went into liquidation.
In 2016 Independent News & Media (INM, now Mediahuis Ireland) agreed to purchase CMNL. While the transaction was approved by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, eventually both parties decided not to complete the takeover while the transaction was going through a phase 2 review by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).
In 2018 the Group bought a share in the Dublin People Group, which includes three free Dublin local newspapers; Northside People East, Northside People West and Southside People. In 2020 this group of papers went into liquidation and were subsequently bought by Evad IT Solutions, owned by David Mahon, a previous part owner of the Dublin People Group.
Each of the Celtic Media Group’s newspapers has a separate office in their locality and, with the exception of the Westmeath Independent and the Offaly Independent, individual editors.
Mother Company
CMNL Limited
Business Form
Private
Legal Form
Private Limited Company
Other Print Outlets
The Anglo Celt
Westmeath Examiner
Westmeath Independent
Offaly Independent
Meath Chronicle
Connaught Telegraph
Other Online Outlets
www.anglocelt.ie
www.westmeathexaminer.ie
www.westmeathindependent.ie
www.offalyindependent.ie
www.meathchronicle.ie
www.con-telegraph.ie
Media Business
Printing
Celtic Media Print Ltd
General Information
Founding Year
2012
Affiliated Interests Founder
Originally the titles in the Celtic Media Group were individual newspaper publishers established in Ireland in the late 19th Century. In the early 2000s they were bought up by the Dunfernline Group, a Scottish company, to create the Celtic Media Group at a cost of €65Milion.
Employees
69
Contact
Celtic Media Group
Market Square
Navan
Co. Meath
Telephone: +353 (0) 46 9079600
Website: www.celticmediagroup.ie
Tax/ ID Number
IE585944
Financial Information
Revenue (Financial Data/ Optional)
Missing Data
Operating Profit (in Mill. $)
Missing Data
Advertising (in % of total funding)
Missing Data
Management
Executive Board
Chief Executive Officer - joined Celtic Media in 2005 as Managing Director and led the management buyout of the company from Dunfermline in 2012. He is also an executive member of Local Ireland, an industry group representing local news outlets in Ireland.
A chartered accountant who joined Celtic Media Group in 2003, he worked as Financial Controller for the company until 2018 when he joined the board and was appointed Financial Director. He owns a 2.11% share in CNML Limited. He is an active director of a number of registered charities operating in the property and childcare sectors including: Kilmainhamwood Area Development association Company Limited (Charity), KC Childcare Company Limited (Charity)
Non-Executive Board
Chairman of the Celtic Media Group (non-Executive) - British specialist director with a background in management consultancy specialising in restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and operations. He owns 13.7% of CMNL.
Other Influential People
Shareholder - was a member of the management team buyout in 2012 and company director until 2018. He owns 27.4% shares of the company.
Further Information
Headlines
Meta Data
The data we have available on Celtic Media circulation and readership is from the publisher, and in the case of readership there is no source or year attached to this data.
Weekly Circulation for all titles: 57,234 (Publisher data, estimate based on combined reported circulation for individual titles)
Weekly Audience Reach: 212,000 (publisher reported)
Horgan, J. & Flynn, R. (2017), Irish Media A Critical History, Four Courts Press, Dublin
