Through two world wars, the War of Independence and a Civil War, the Kerryman has borne witness to the great events of both international and Irish history as experienced in the "Kingdom" with its testimony rolling off the presses every week from its base in Tralee for the past 102 years.
But tonight, after surviving everything from attacks by British forces during the War of Independence to threats from the IRA in the 1970s, the Kerryman printworks will fall silent for the last time, with printing transferring to the Belfast Telegraph.
It's a sad occasion, not just for the 18 full-time, four part-time and 14 casual staff who are losing their jobs, but also for the entire organisation.
For compositor Michael Mercer it will be a big occasion. "My grandfather, Jeremiah, and my father, Patrick, both worked in the Kerryman, and I've been here myself for the last 39 years," he revealed. "I grew up opposite the old printworks in Rock Street - I used to bring bottles of tea over to my father there. It was like that for a lot of families in Tralee where sons followed their fathers into the Kerryman."
While current editor Declan Malone echoes his sadness, he looks forward to the change. "The Kerryman has an outstanding tradition of bringing news to the people as the most widely read and respected paper in Kerry for the past 102 years," he said.
"The printworks was a key part of that history and it's sad to see it end. But the move to a more modern press does afford us the opportunity to further enhance our paper. We will become the first regional paper to be published in both broadsheet and compact formats."
