Ballymun Concrete News

Ballymun Concrete News
Ballymun Concrete News logo
Front page of the final Ballymun Concrete News issue (Volume 8, Issue 2)
FormatTabloid
OwnerSeamus Kelly
PublisherSeamus Kelly
Founded27 July 1988 (1988-07-27)
Ceased publication
March 2006 (2006-03)
LanguageEnglish
CityBallymun, Dublin, Ireland
CountryIreland
CirculationNorthside, Dublin, Ireland
Free online archives
Yes

The Ballymun Concrete News, also known as The Concrete News,[1] was a hyperlocal newspaper that ran in Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland,[2] from July 1988[3] until May 2006.[4] It was written and published by local resident Seamus Kelly, aiming to only report positive news stories about Ballymun during the Ballymun Regeneration.[4][5] The newspaper earned revenue from advertisements from local businesses, Ballymun Regeneration Limited and Dublin City Council.[4] At the time of its closure, the "one-man free newspaper" consisted of an eight page tabloid that was distributed to 20,000 homes in Northside, Dublin, Ireland.[4][6] In all, 87 editions of the newspaper were published.[7][6]

History

The Ballymun Concrete News started out in July 1988 as a one-page photocopied Microsoft Word document.[8] According to his memoir Written in Concrete, it was created by Kelly to combat the negative reputation of Ballymun in Irish media.[2]

The newspaper was "relying on advertising from the tenants" of Ballymun Shopping Centre,[9] and shut down in March 2006 when the proposed project to replace the shopping centre failed to materialise.[8][2][9]

Legacy

In 2005, Seamus Kelly was featured on an episode of the RTÉ One documentary program City Folk.[10][11]

In February and March 2016, Kelly held an art exhibition in the Axis Art Centre and Theatre in Ballymun that consisted of several photographs taken for Ballymun Concrete News to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first people moving into Ballymun, the arts centre's 15th anniversary and to commemorate the demolition of the last Ballymun flat, Joseph Plunkett Tower.[8][6]

In 2013, all 87 issues of Ballymun Concrete News were donated to Dublin City Library and Archive, which then digitally archived them.[7][6]

References

  1. ↑ "Local newspaper looks forward to a new Ballymun" (PDF), Regeneration News, no. 23, p. 4, December 2001, archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007, retrieved 9 August 2007
  2. 1 2 3 Kapils, Lois (21 June 2018). "It's Written in Concrete, Reviewed". Dublin Inquirer. Archived from the original on 16 December 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  3. ↑ Kelly, Seamus (27 July 1988). "Latest News - One Page Newsletter". Ballymun, Dublin, Ireland: Ballymun Concrete News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 O'Mahony, Catherine; Devane, Michelle (2 April 2006), "Ballymun Concrete News to Close", Sunday Business Post, archived from the original on 29 September 2007
  5. ↑ "A local newspaper with a heart – remembering Ballymun Concrete News". Dublin City Council. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Concrete People is a solid exhibition". Dublin People. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Newspaper 'Ballymun Concrete News' Digitally Archived". positivelife.ie. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Kapila, Lois (24 February 2016). "In Ballymun, the Art of Concrete News and Concrete People". Dublin Inquirer. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Ballymun stand-off puts €3bn plan in jeopardy". Evening Herald. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Television Schedule - 1 Aug 2005 - RTÉ One - 11.45: City Folk". Dublin: Irish Independent. 1 August 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Kelly, Seamus (8 February 2016). "Seamus Kelly Ballymun Concrete News featured in RTE EU documentery". Retrieved 26 March 2026 – via YouTube.
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