The Irish Examiner is to leave its base in Academy Street in Cork, where it has been published for over 160 years, and move to a new location in the €100 million city centre docklands development. Barry Roche, Southern Correspondent, reports.
Mr Anthony Dinan, managing director of Thomas Crosbie Holdings which owns the Irish Examiner and the Evening Echo, yesterday confirmed the move to offices currently being developed on Lapp's Quay.
Mr Dinan revealed that by the time the 280 reporting, advertising and other staff move to Lapp's Quay in 2006, the newspaper will have spent 165 years on Academy Street.
"It's a historic decision for the company and a good move for us," said Mr Dinan, confirming that the company had looked at developing its own site at Half Moon Street.
He said the company had reached "a good deal" for a long term lease on its new office space. Mr Dinan also revealed that Cork City Council intended to grant planning permission for a new printing facility at Mahon for a range of newspapers, including its titles, which will be run by Webprint Concepts Ltd, who will lease the building from Thomas Crosbie Holdings .
Mr Dinan explained that as part of the company's deal this summer to sell the Academy Street site to O'Callaghan Properties for a multi-million sum, the company had obtained a site in Mahon where O'Callaghan are also developing a major retail and commercial complex.
The company would build a printing works there which it would then lease to Webprint Concepts who would equip it with a printing press. Construction work is expected to start early in 2005 .