KILDARE: Landmark main street building is sold after more than a century

The Leinster Leader building at South Main Street, Naas and home to the eponymous newspaper for well over a century, has been  sold. 

It is understood that the property fetched €1m at a public auction arranged by Jordan Auctioneers at the Hotel Keadeen in Newbridge. 

Four parties bid for the property.

It is understood that the premises was bought by parties linked with Blessington Plant Hire, based at Crosschapel, Blessington and the company was also associated with ownership of both the adjacent Gogarty's shop premises at South Main Street, Naas, and the former Ivy Inn premises, which was transformed into 33 South Main, a popular pub and restaurant venue.

It’s understood that the building was put on the market  by at least some of the shareholders who sold a stable of regional newspapers, including the Leader, for €138.6m.

The deal was made in 2005 not long before the financial health of newspapers across the globe began to decline.  The buyer was Johnston Press, which by the end of 2018, had debts exceeding £200m sterling. The building and the adjacent house sits on a site occupying about an acre.

Naas Printing, which up to recently  was based at the premises, has recently moved. 

It’s now located at the former Alo Donegan’s electrical goods retail shop just around the corner at Limerick Road and which itself closed just over six years ago.

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