With redesign, website, Echo moves forward

Building on the paper’s long-established experience of representing the achievements and concerns of the Irish community, the newspaper is ready to respond to the challenges of the 21st century, said president and publisher Sean Finlay.
Stressing that the strong foundation that the Echo has built up over the years, Finlay said that he is certain that the newspaper will continue to fulfill its mission to address the interests and concerns of the Irish community in all its aspects.
“It is important that the Echo reflects the Irish and Irish-American communities in their totality,” Finlay said. “That is why we have invested heavily in the newspaper and its website. The website alone was redesigned at a six-figure cost. The weekly production of the newspaper is now on a par with any state-of-the-art newspaper facility.”
New technology and the newspaper’s interactive website will mean that the Echo’s well-known product will be more accessible than ever.
Finlay, who has been publisher since taking over the paper from Claire Grimes in January, is no stranger to the Irish community in New York and the U.S. He has had longstanding business and cultural interests in the U.S. He is a member of many Irish organizations, and is a director of the Ireland-U.S. Council, the Flax Trust, a charity that promotes better economic and social conditions in Northern Ireland and the Boys Hope, Girls Hope charity, part of the Beaumont Hospital International Foundation. He also takes a keen interest in the work of the Irish Arts Center in New York.
Finlay said that the Echo was an obvious investment for him because of his strong interest in Irish affairs, and his commitment to the success of the community.
“The Irish and Irish-American communities are unique, and complement each other,” he said. “The Diaspora’s history is one of consistent achievement, and marked by values of service and benevolence.”
With that in mind, Finlay said, the Echo’s editors, reporters, columnists and correspondents will bring to the newspaper the widest possible range of viewpoints from the Irish community.
Pride in the achievements of the Irish, remembrance of their history and their potential in the future will continue to guide the Echo in its coverage of Ireland and Irish America, he said.