The Laois Press

Evolution Enter

So, we're launching a new Laois newspaper, and as a regular visitor to this page thought I'd post something up here.

Few of us that used to work in the Laois Voice and as contributors to the Nationalist and Express have decided to launch a different type of paper. I'd love to get some ideas or feedback here (except the negative don't bother type)

Set up an e-mail address laoispress@gmail.com so if anyone would like to have anything included in the paper just fire it on to that. Anyone interested in advertising we're doing really cheap ads as a way of supporting struggling businesses in thie recession.

Or if anyone fancies writing somethiing up, either as a letter to the editor or an article on something you feel should get newspaper coverage please feel free to contact us.

We're also on Facebook on http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000393970288&ref=ts so we can be contacted there too or ring 0879835678

Bicky

Do an article on places to walk your dogs in Laois. Hint hire adser for that one.

kizzyf

I really think walking in Laois should be highlighted. Some great places to go. Okay admittedly (sp) it's one of the main things Laois has going for it but an article about it would be good. I suppose more articles about things to do in Laois in general. Anything to get people out doing stuff and lift the doom and gloom.

Weekly article about new businesses in the county or existing businesses.

Crann na Beatha

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**Vai**

How bout an article (followed by a petition) for a proper dog park in Portlaoise?
And more coverage on whatever local bands are left.


PS; Hi Dara u entrepreneurial mofo!

Evolution Enter

Oh club profiles and that kinda thing will be a big part, we're gonna have our focus firmly fixed on the positive stuff and efforts that are going on around the county, as opposed to 5-6 pages of court pages or other negative features you see elsewhere.

And cheers Derek, amazing what close on 5 months unemployed without dole will do for the entrepreneurial spirit

adser53

Bicky wrote: »

Do an article on places to walk your dogs in Laois. Hint hire adser for that one.

Ha cheers for the endorsement but I think my article writing skills leave a lot to be desired
On a serious note, I think its great idea and I'd love to see a more positive and pro-laois type paper than the others that have next to nothing in them except death notices, embarrassing courtroom stories and headlines about dole queues.
I'd love to see more on the events and activities on in Laois as they get no media attention. Local clubs and businesses being promoted and perhaps every edition have something akin to "event of the week".
There's also a user in here "bodhan" that's started up a very good impartial car review site "thenextgear.com" that's getting a lot of attention. As he's a local, I think he would be a good port of call for a weekly motoring section too on cars that we can actually afford rather than fancy shmancy ones

I'm looking forward to reading it, please keep us updated on it

**Vai**

adser53 wrote: »

embarrassing courtroom stories

But that was the best part of the Leinster!

Fair play tho Dara, hope it works out. Ill be expecting nice reviews when I manage to get a band together

Evolution Enter

I've been in touch with the next gear, deadly site and would be a great addition to what we're doing.

Was in Mountmellick and the amount of positive stories that are really interesting just leap out at you. Some great clubs out there doing an awful lot of good. That's what the paper will be about!

Looking like our first issue should be April 6, so if anyone would like to see something covered, don't be shy, either ring or e-mail me, message me here or find us on facebook under laois press

adser53

Evolution Enter wrote: »

I've been in touch with the next gear, deadly site and would be a great addition to what we're doing.

Was in Mountmellick and the amount of positive stories that are really interesting just leap out at you. Some great clubs out there doing an awful lot of good. That's what the paper will be about!

Looking like our first issue should be April 6, so if anyone would like to see something covered, don't be shy, either ring or e-mail me, message me here or find us on facebook under laois press

Great stuff Dara, looking forward to it now

Bicky

What about court pages. I love that bit in the Leinster. speaking of court pages, Paddy Cullen was in town tonight. Still as mad as ever

Bodhan

I'm looking forward to it too, anyone have an interesting motoring story for Laois let me know it might end up in the paper!

Evolution Enter

Good man Paddy haha, just don't play him at chess, he'll kick your ass

renthead

maybe a section about the arts in the county....the real arts that is and not county hall 9-5.

There are so many groups and individuals producing so much creative work that deserve mentions and profiling they may not otherwise get.

Best of luck with the launch

Evolution Enter

Renthead, I used to be the Laois Voice arts writer, unfortunately at the time my hands were tied with what I could report, trust me, the arts section is gonna be a lot better in this paper

pclancy

need an international correspondant?

Evolution Enter

You're New Zealand dude, what if I need an article about keyboard players from Brazil or Utah??

ourtrail

Great idea! perhaps actively encouraging businesses to advertise any vacancies they have for a relatively cheap rate might be a good idea as most job vacancies in laois go un-advertised and there are a lot of people unemployed in the area.

Evolution Enter

All our advertising is going to be cheap, be it advertising jobs our their services - but we will be doing cheaper ads in a recruitment section!

Keep the ideas coming

Crann na Beatha

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Evolution Enter

Of course, we've put together a nice breadth of sports in Laois, and if there is anything like that coming up don't be shy about letting me know

colly_06

Great idea, I was reading the Leinster Express the other day and every page was literally about the courthouse. It would be great if you included soccer, there's no mention of it in the local papers.

Evolution Enter

We will indeed, have a load of CCFL stuff sorted and an interview with a Laois soccer international

Minxie123

Just wondering where it will be on sale in Portarlington?

Crann na Beatha

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Evolution Enter

Will indeed Minxie, have a lot of the shops sorted already

Obaraten - of course! You gotta give me an angle or something in particular to write about though, like a group or organisation etc

Hesh's Umpire

Has this paper gone on sale yet?

Evolution Enter

No, not yet, still working on the set up, but posted this up to get ideas as we're working

Crann na Beatha

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Bubblegums

Veles wrote: »

Maybe have a section where ye go around and ask ordinary people about various local issues?

They tend to do that in the Nationalist already

manhimself

Any sign of this publication yet?

Seems to have gone quiet on it here. Hopefully it hasn't been died a death before it even started. Having said that I'd be sceptical enough of a new paper in this climate. Nationalist and Leinster have been around for years and it's very hard to break into the market. The Voice was a disaster of a setup and I was surprised it lasted as long as it did

Hesh's Umpire

I hear it's launching shortly as a free paper.

Evolution Enter

It's launching on October as a free newspaper - ads are currently being sold for the next four weeks before launch! If anyone has any questions or suggestions as regards content/advertising - e-mail darabyrne44@gmail.com

Evolution Enter

Long time ago since I started this thread back in March - but the paper is out today - it's in pretty much every shop, petrol station, pub, cafe, hotel, etc in Portlaoise, Mountrath, Stradbally and Mounmellick

Will be distributing in Portarlington, Abbeyleix, Durrow Rathdowney tomorrow

Hope every gives it a read

HanyuPinyin

Can I read it online since I don't buy newspapers?

Evolution Enter

It's a free newspaper - nobody has to buy it

Uncorruptable

Evolution Enter wrote: »

Long time ago since I started this thread back in March - but the paper is out today - it's in pretty much every shop, petrol station, pub, cafe, hotel, etc in Portlaoise, Mountrath, Stradbally and Mounmellick

Will be distributing in Portarlington, Abbeyleix, Durrow Rathdowney tomorrow

Hope every gives it a read

I'll pick one up today, cheers.

sydthebeat

HanyuPinyin wrote: »

Can I read it online since I don't buy newspapers?

its FREE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


ya sack

pclancy

You should stick a copy of it online for those of us that have gone wandering.

Ellis Dee

Bicky wrote: »

Do an article on places to walk your dogs in Laois. Hint hire adser for that one.

LOL. The Nationalist and the Leinster have sure had plenty of articles (mostly of the tut-tutting kind) about dogging in Laois.

Here's a list of sites, but it's rather inaccurate, because two of the 14 sites mentioned are actually in Offaly.

http://www.swing4ireland.com/laois-dogging-locations.html

If the new paper wants a volunteer to do some in-depth research (in return for expenses only) for an article on this form of recreation, I'm yer man!

Evolution Enter

haha - those dogging articles were actually 4 years out of date too! And to be honest I've no interest in **** like that - there are only so many pages in each issue and I'd rather fill the paper with positive news stories than that!

Evolution Enter

and Paul - I'll jpeg the paper shortly and post it up on the FB page

jmorrisey

hey OP,

any chance you could stick an ad in for this cat i found so we can reunite her with her family...nice feelgood story for the paper

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056429660

Evolution Enter

our next two issues aren't out until Nov 10 & 24 - so remind me closer to the date??

Uncorruptable

Hi Dara,

Just wondering, will the paper be available in all shops today? Or will it be as first issue, covering one half of the county first & then second half?

Looking to pick one up in rathdowney this evening if its going to be in shops there?

Evolution Enter

Rathdowney tomorrow unfortunately - did Portlaoise, Mountrath, Portarlington, Mountmellick, The Heath, Castletown, Emo and Ballybrittas! Everywhere else tomorrow

Over 5000 issues gone out today though, so we're getting quicker

JackieChan

Just picked up the Laois Press today for the first time.
I have to say that the overall paper is presented very well-although two staples in the paper would be great to keep it together.

One thing that I noticed while skimming through was that the grammar was atrocious in places.
In particular the Egan's X-factor update and Land Cruiser articles and as of yet I have only skimmed through 4 or 5 articles.

Ask the editor to maybe review all articles before going to print. Because he certainly didn't on this edition!

Good Luck with the venture though and I will continue to pick it up in my local Supervalu.

Bodhan

JackieChan wrote: »

Just picked up the Laois Press today for the first time.
I have to say that the overall paper is presented very well-although two staples in the paper would be great to keep it together.

One thing that I noticed while skimming through was that the grammar was atrocious in places.
In particular the Egan's X-factor update and Land Cruiser articles and as of yet I have only skimmed through 4 or 5 articles.

Ask the editor to maybe review all articles before going to print. Because he certainly didn't on this edition!

Good Luck with the venture though and I will continue to pick it up in my local Supervalu.

I think you are being a bit harsh with 'atrocious' there are a couple of spelling errors in the articles you pointed out but the grammar is modern and friendly, maybe your more a fan of the strict grammar type but I prefer the local writing.

Evolution Enter

Thanks for the constructive criticism JackieChan, as the editor I've written most of the articles except for motoring and GAA. But Bob Flavin, our motoring writer, is a professional motoring critic, and I've really enjoyed both his articles in the first two issues so far!

The Egan's X-Factor article was more of a list of who's made it through and how to get in before the competition gets really serious, so don't see how the grammar would be atrocious??

At the moment I'm working on being able to make the paper bigger in terms of pages and presentation, but I'll do my best to keep errors to a minimum

Evolution Enter

Just re-read Egan's x-factor - yes, the word 'is' should have been used instead of 'are'!

Evolution Enter

........and very harsh on the land cruiser article - you are criticising apostrophe s! I've seen the well established Leinster express with 10 times our staff have the word caption under photos and plent of spelling and grammar mistakes - it happens when working to deadline!