The team behind The Kerryman newspaper has no interest in changing the name, the paper's general manager says.
They say a name-change would 'totally jeopardise' the long-running paper.
The Kerry newspaper has unwittingly become the centre of a debate today, after Minister of State Josepha Madigan suggested they could consider a name change to make it more gender neutral.
Minister Madigan said her point isn't about the newspaper in particular, but simply a need to look at ending the use of gendered titles in society.
The call was sharply criticised by Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae, who claimed the debate was an example of 'political correctness gone mad'.
On Lunchtime Live, Siobhan Murphy – general manager of Kerryman and Corkman Newspapers - said she also disagrees with many of the points being made.
She said: "[Whoever] owns the brand, it’s up to them to change the name of the brand itself. I don’t see why anyone, just because someone wants to be politically correct, should change something.
“We wouldn’t change our brand - it’s never been a request, and has never even been thought of to be honest. It is a worldwide recognised brand.”
So... How's everyone's day going so far? pic.twitter.com/0zx1yzAnxe
— The Kerryman (@kerryman_ie) March 18, 2021
Ms Murphy said the company already has a 'fair mix' of male and female employees within the business itself, and there are many positive changes that can be made within the business itself.
She said: “You can make change in the business without actually changing the name… we have moved with the times, and adapted to the present day.
“Changing our brand and changing our name would totally jeopardise our paper, rather than doing anything for us.”
She also pointed to a long history of paperboys selling the newspaper in Tralee and across Kerry.
She said: “We’ve taken that to another level - even outside our door in the office, we have an image of a paperboy on the wall.
“You can’t change history, and you can’t change tradition. You can’t rewrite it.
“It is a paper of record, and something you’re very proud of. It’s just something that wouldn’t interest us, changing it - we don’t see the point. We don’t think we’d gain anything… in fact we have more to lose than gain.”
