Happy 10th Anniversary to Waterford/Tipperary couple - and The Nationalist compact!

This week for our YESTERYEARS feature we go back ten years to our edition dated June 20, 2013, which was an standout one in itself in the history of The Nationalist. That issue marked our first-ever paper printed in the new compact-sized format having said goodbye the previous week to the traditional broadsheet version after 123 years since the foundation of this newspaper in 1990. As the era of ‘advertisements only’ on the front of The Nationalist had passed in the 1980s, the days of having multiple stories on the front page had now also disappeared into the realms of printing history.

The lead story headlined “Barracks site to become culture hub” informed readers that the vacant Kickham Barracks could be transformed into Clonmel’s cultural hub in the future as plans continued for its acquirement and ambitious development.

“In accordance with the six year development plan, the Council plan to create a new urban civic space within the 11 acre site, which closed in March 2012.”

“South Tipperary County Council are currently negotiating with the Department of Defence to finalise the sale of the historic site on behalf of stakeholders - the Gardaí, Clonmel Borough Council, the VEC and Limerick Institute of Technology,” the article continued.

The front page picture that week was a ‘LOVE-ly’, if somewhat unusual one. Farmer Nicholas Hogan from Toor, Kilsheelan, county Waterford, was pictured with his beautiful bride, Rita Wall, Albert Street, Clonmel, and their daughter Lily-Anne, outside St Mary’s Church on the day of their wedding, June 15, 2013. Afterwards Nicholas chauffeured Rita in a Massey Ferguson tractor to their wedding reception at Hotel Minella, Clonmel and Rita donned a pair of red wellies for the journey.