Letter to the Editor: Step back into Waterford News & Star past

Dear Editor, 

I had reason to visit the News & Star offices in the Industrial Estate, just in off the Cork Road and Paddy Browne's Road, 50 plus years ago. My main business was with Kevin Cadogan, the Advertising Manager. I think his assistant was named Liz.

Paddy O'Neill was a very affable man. He had studied agriculture or horticulture first and then joined the Marine Service, now the Naval Service.

I wonder if participation in another field made better journalists, for instance accountancy for Veronica Guerin and Susanne O'Keeffe. 

Paddy got on well with the Chamber of Commerce, the newspaper being a corporate member. He felt all of Waterford were in it together. Was this a better way to get results than the sincere but confrontational column?

Dick Dowling set the standard for journalism in the south-east. The News & Star office was not just for a regional paper but a regional office for the Cork Examiner and Evening Echo, which made Dick, Peter Doyle and Marion (O'Mara) national journalists. Peter Doyle's nightmare was the Waterford Corporation meeting on a Monday night. Jack Barry was the photographer, a transplanted Corkman I think.

Johnny Murphy was another institution in Dungarvan. He was primarily for the Examiner/Echo but contributed to the News & Star, news and G.A.A. 

Pat Fanning submitted GAA copy and L.P.D., Leo Dunne, wrote the best soccer column in Ireland. 

Ralph (Riegel) had an entertainment column.

The News & Star opened the doors to many women. I don't know if the decision came from Cork where Maureen Fox and Isabel Conway were leading lights. Because of the national and regional work in Waterford there would have been no need to tempt Marion away, and she would not have gone.

Yours, 

Tadhg Coffey, 

Killeagh, Co. Cork

P.S. There was also an East Cork edition - the East Cork News.