Founded in December 1938, by John B. Nagle and Jack. J. Troy, the “Dungarvan Leader” is a flourishing local weekly newspaper, serving the communities of Dungarvan and West Waterford. A family-owned independent newspaper, the full-colour weekly, has recorded the news and events over the past seven decades, from the early years surviving the economic depression of World War 11 era Dungarvan, to the thriving, confident and developing community of over 30,000 people it now serves in its catchment area.  

The Leader has stayed in the Nagle family since 1938, when John B Nagle, a native of Tralee, Co. Kerry printed the first edition, which came out on Saturday, December 24.  

The new paper quickly made progress, especially throughout the West Waterford area. John B. Nagle remained in control of the operation until shortly before his death in 1972. 

Michael C. Nagle, editor of the Leader, since the very first edition, then took over the management of the paper. 

The business remained in the Nagle family when his son Colm took over the management and operation of the Leader in 1993. 

In the years since its foundation, the Leader has recorded the many changes that have taken place at local level. It was only nine months in operation when World War 11 erupted in September 1939, but the Leader managed to survive all the hardships that the war entailed in the ensuing years. 

In the years that followed, the paper continued to flourish, serving the people of Waterford by bringing them full and factual reports of all matters that were of interest  to the community at large, and covering some of the largest stories to break in the area, often taking on national interest. 

The passage of time, has seen major changes – not just outside but inside the Leader too. In December 1988, the Leader changed from the old style Linotype machines and printing presses to computer type setters – a ground-breaking move at the time for a weekly local paper. At the same time, it changed from a broadsheet to its present format as a tabloid.

The Leader continues to move and change with the times, and its modern new website, with its innovative layout, continues on the tradition of growth and development of the paper, and in serving the interests of Dungarvan and its hinterlands, at home and aboard.