Martin McGinley has been appointed editor of the Derry Journal.

The move is a return to newspapers for the 45-year-old, who has run his own PR business – Martin McGinley PR – for the past two years.

Prior to that he had been editor of the Donegal Democrat and Donegal Peoples Press, which are also part of the Derry Journal Group.

Martin succeeds Pat McArt, who stepped down from the editor’s role after almost 25 years.

Martin told HoldtheFrontPage the “attractivess of the job” had drawn him back to newspapers and to the Derry Journal where he had previously worked as a reporter in the 1980s.

He said: “It is one of the best jobs in regional journalism in Ireland.

“Newspapers are my first love, but going into PR was pretty interesting – seeing people in the news from another angle and trying to contribute to the news myself. I think it will stand me in good stead.

“Johnston Press (which bought the Derry Journal last year) is a really good group, I like its approach and it is steeped in local newspapers.

“Plus you have all the benefits of a large organisation with expertise across 300 titles.”

Martin began his career as a cub reporter on the Derry People and Donegal News, where he first met his predecessor, Pat, and the pair also worked together during Martin’s first stint at the Journal and his time at the Donegal Democrat.

Martin has also worked as a TV and radio reporter for BBC Belfast and even took time out to run a pub in Killybegs with his wife Janet.

The Derry Journal is published twice weekly, in tabloid format on Tuesdays and as a broadsheet on Fridays, and has a combined circulation of almost 45,000.

The group also publishes the Sunday Journal, Derry on Monday, Foyle News and City News.