Liam O'Regan:NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER and longest-serving editor in the State Liam O'Regan, who has died at the age of 72, was the owner of the regional broadsheet, the Southern Star.
As managing director and editor of Co Cork's largest circulating weekly for the past 50 years, one of Ireland's few remaining independently owned provincial newspapers, he believed the regional press played a crucial role in maintaining and sustaining local communities, especially in rural areas.
A professional newspaper man to the core, he also knew what his readers wanted. Reflecting their interests, he was deeply involved in the community, business, social and sporting life of the town.
He was a keen sportsman, a fine sprinter and talented rugby player in his day and a former president of Skibbereen rugby club. He was also an active playing and social member of the local golf club where he had served as president.
Since taking over as editor of the newspaper (at the age of 22) in the autumn of 1958, its columns have bristled with the brand of local news savoured by his readers - court cases, proceedings of council meetings, reports on festivals, the names of mourners at funerals, plus the vital results and pictures of sports events.
As a hands-on editor in the best newspaper tradition, he wrote his own leading articles and stoutly maintained the paper's independence. His readers were never in doubt on where he stood, not alone on matters of local interest, including the urgent need for regeneration of areas like west Cork, neglected by successive governments, but also on a broad swathe of national issues. His weekly editorials were read with relish.
He was quietly proud of the paper's historical cache, stemming from its incorporation of the Skibbereen Eagle, a pro-unionist paper which famously made world headlines on declaring it was "keeping an eye on the Czar of Russia" over his expansionist designs on China.
With the growth of nationalism, the local influence of the Skibbereen Eagle declined and it was taken over by the Southern Star.
The O'Regan family's involvement in the paper began when Liam's father, Joe O'Regan, became a director in 1919, gradually acquiring the interests of other shareholders, including those of Gen Michael Collins who had served as a director for a time, completing the buy-out in 1949.
Educated at Rockwell College and UCD, Liam studied printing in London before joining the editorial staff of the Munster Express.
As owner of the Southern Star, he knew the importance of technological change and in 1975 led the transition from the old letterpress printing methods to web offset printing.
The entire contents of the paper are available on the internet as are archives going back to 1892.
In a town lacking a strong manufacturing base, the Southern Star counts as a significant industry. With a weekly circulation of 15,500, it employs more than 30 staff. As editor he had a reputation as a good employer, maintaining the loyalty of long-serving employees. Although he had received a number of takeover bids, he turned them down because he was committed to keeping the business in the family.
Mr O'Regan had been ill for a number of months and died peacefully at the family home in Abbeystrewery, Skibbereen. Pre-deceased by his brothers Allan and Brendan, he is survived by his wife Maeve, daughters Lisa, Fiona, Breffni, Nadine and son Neil, brother Kevin and sister Eleanor.
Liam O'Regan: born October 31st, 1936; died January 2nd, 2009