National World buys second Northern Ireland weekly

National World Plc has acquired Northern Ireland-based weekly newspaper The Banbridge Chronicle.

By Dominic Ponsford

National World Plc has acquired Northern Ireland-based weekly newspaper The Banbridge Chronicle.

The title was launched in 1870 and was saved from closure after being bought by Bann Media in 2022.

The last time it recorded an ABC it had a paid-for circulation of 3,521 in 2015.

National World’s executive chairman, David Montgomery, said: “I first read the Chronicle as a schoolboy when visiting my uncle’s farm near Banbridge. So I know how valued it has always been in the community.

“National World will protect the Chronicle’s editorial heritage and independence and will continue to promote Banbridge, its families, businesses and the cultural life of this beautiful part of Co. Down.”

The deal follows the purchase of the Newry Reporter last month, a Northern Ireland weekly that was on the verge of closure.