On this week, back in 1983, the first issue of the Weekly Observer went on sale, just over a year after the first edition of sister newspaper the Vale Star.
The mission statement of the fledgling publication mirrored that of the Star, to record the events of the newspaper’s West Limerick catchment area with stories and photographs, as seen through the eyes of local communities.
To that end, people in towns and villages were asked to submit stories and photographs of events, and these correspondents were prolific in their weekly reports, keeping readers up to date with everything that was happening in their communities. Local sports clubs and community organis-ations were also invited to send in reports of their activities, and these weekly columns soon became indis-pensable to readers, giving reports of past events and highlighting upcoming attractions and fixtures.
Though there have been many changes over the past 42 years, especially the advent of social media, we are happy to say that sales of your favourite local weekly remain at a high level, and it is heartwarming to see that our readers continue to support us so strongly.
The editor and staff of the Weekly Observer would like to thank readers, advertisers, sporting and community organisations for continuing to place their trust in us, and we in turn promise that we will continue to bring you the best of local news, information and photographs every week, as we have done since the beginning.