The Connemara Gaeltacht town of Carraroe may not seem a likely base for a national newspaper but when that newspaper is Foinse, the State's weekly Irish language publication, the location makes sense.
"We are the most westerly-based national newspaper in the country," says Foinse editor Breandain Delap. And he points out that Foinse is just one example of how computer technology is benefiting the western seaboard, as such a venture would not have been possible five years ago.
The weekly, which began in October 1996, was established and is owned by Galway businessman Mr Padraig O Ceidigh. And while it's subsidised by £3,500 per issue by Bord na Gaeilge, that body has no editorial input, says Mr Delap.
Foinse has a circulation of 6,000 and is distributed in major cities and in Gaeltacht areas. Teachers and public service workers form a large part of the readership.
There is no tradition in actual Gaeltacht areas of people reading Irish-language newspapers, says Mr Delap. "Along the west, it's mostly English tabloids that sell well, while in Donegal it's Scottish ones. We are conscious of this and are working on it. But fortunately, there's a new generation who are more open to reading news in Irish."
He admits Foinse is not a main paper for many people but something they buy with their first choice. "So we aim to give them items and angles which they wouldn't get in other weekend papers."
Sports and arts are concentrated on. The paper has just started a local sports supplement focusing on Gaeltacht areas. It has just one full-time journalist, who is based in Dublin, while there are two design staff working in Carraroe. The paper has several well-known contributors, including Northern journalist Poilin Ni Chiarain.
"We have stringers in all the Gaeltacht areas and ultimately hope to have a small office in each Gaeltacht, but that's in the future," says Mr Delap.
There are some problems with Foinse's distribution, he admits,
mainly because some shops are reluctant to have two or three copies taking up space which could be used for better-selling titles.
"It simply means that if someone in Tullamore wants to read Foinse, they must order it specially. We need to improve on distribution and it's an area we are addressing."