Fingal Independent will cease publication in October as readers move online

The Fingal Independent, a local weekly in North County Dublin, will close in October amid rising costs and falling revenues.

ediahuis Ireland, which publishes the Fingal Independent, announced on Tuesday that it intended to cease publication of the title of the weekly North Dublin to staff on Tuesday.

The media group, which also publishes independent.ie, said it was working on developing a new Dublin Local initiative which will provide a dedicated online alternative to Fingal’s audience.

The company said it would continue its publishing engagement with Drogheda Independent and The Argus in Dundalk.

The Fingal Independent was first published in 1983 and covers the areas of Swords, Balbriggan, Lusk, Rush, Skerries, Malahide, Portmarnock and Balrothery in North County Dublin.

A structural drop in revenues in these suburban areas, combined with a very steep increase in costs, has made this stand-alone print title no longer profitable. The last issue will appear on Wednesday, October 26, Mediahuis said in a statement.

“Mediahuis as a group has a strong portfolio of market-leading brands and over the coming period we will work to transition our readers and customers to our alternative online offerings as part of our of digital road,” the company said.

“This has already resulted in acquiring some 58,000 subscribers to date in just over 2.5 years.”

At Fingal Independent, the company has begun a 30-day consultation and engagement period with what is described as a small number of affected employees to ensure the process is managed as efficiently as possible and that all necessary aids are provided.