The death of renowned Monaghan journalist Paddy Turley ended almost a century of connection between the Turley family and the Northern Standard newspaper.
Turley (84) took over as editor when his father, Joe, died in 1961 after over 40 years in the job. He was a campaigning editor, of strongly republican views, who could and did upset the local establishment.
Until he took over, the Standard had been perceived as a Unionist paper, principally appealing to Monaghan's Protestant minority. He repositioned it, to reflect political reality and appeal to the wider community.
He retired as editor in the early 1990s, but continued to write editorials - his last for the edition of May 13th - and to cover sport, especially boxing and soccer.
Turley was born in May 1920 to Joe and Mary Alice Turley (née Smyth). The family originally came from the Dromore area of Co Down and his grandfather came to Monaghan as an RIC sergeant.
Joe Turley himself had been Irish Party candidate for North Monaghan in the 1918 General Election, but then acted as courier for revolutionary and trade union organiser Peadar O'Donnell when attendants in Monaghan Asylum occupied the building, declared a soviet and ran up the red flag during a dispute in January 1919.
An attempt to send the young Turley as a boarder to the Marist's secondary school in Dundalk failed: his father accompanied him to Dundalk on the train, and returned home to find the young Turley had got back before him.
He obtained his secondary education in the local vocational school, where he learnt shorthand and typing, then freelanced as a journalist before joining the Irish Tourist Board (now Bord Fáilte) for four years. In 1946 he returned to Monaghan as a reporter on the Standard.
A keen sportsman, he boxed, played Gaelic, soccer and rugby, and owned and followed greyhounds and it is said that as easily as turning out an editorial, he could cure a sick greyhound. Sport was always a big part in his life: he was a founder of Monaghan United, and helped the club gain League of Ireland status.
He chronicled the career of Barry McGuigan from gifted amateur to Monaghan's only world boxing champion.
In 1973 he ran for the Dáil as an independent in the Monaghan constituency, and polled over 1,800 votes.
He visited Libya in 1974 with a delegation, attempting to find a way of developing Ireland's natural resources without depending on multinationals, and hoping to persuade the oil-rich Ghadafy régime to provide money and expertise. A number of loyalists took part, including Derry UDA leader Glenn Barr, who still considers Turley's idea praiseworthy.
"He was very much trying to promote the welfare of Ireland, that the natural resources should be used for the benefit of the people, he was looking for sponsorship from Libya, he wanted it to be done on a cross-Border, cross-community basis," said Barr.
Turley is survived by his widow Maureen, brother Gerry and sister Philomena (Tracey), daughters Anne (McGrath) and Margaret (Hoare), sons John, Vincent, Noel and Gerard, and 17 grandchildren.
He was predeceased by his sister Cecilia (McArdle) and brother Xavier.
Paddy Turley: born May 17th, 1920, died October 23rd, 2004.