Please consider becoming a subscriber to IrishCycle.com

Hello readers,

At least some of you will know that IrishCycle.com has researched reader-funded journalism for years, but now it’s make-or-break time. IrishCycle.com is asking readers to please become a member today via Ko-Fi.com at ko-fi.com/irishcycle/tiers

At its core, IrishCycle.com is independent journalism covering the resurgence of cycling in Ireland. It also covers related topics such as pedestrianisation, as well as other road safety and sustainable transport issues. There’s a bit of background below for newer readers.

I want to be upfront with readers here: Up to this point, articles were worked on and written on lunch breaks, late at night, and at weekends. Eating into family time and sometimes healthy sleeping time too. But not only that: IrishCycle.com has been subsidised for years by an unrelated full-time job in my family’s business, and a handful of readers kindly covering hosting etc costs.

To make this website more sustainable, I had been looking at the reader-funded model before COVID hit. The pandemic and lockdowns then added uncertainty. But my situation has changed — I’ve been made redundant from the family business. So, it actually is make-or-break time.

I’m mentioning the above not as a sob story, but to honest and upfront with readers that there’s a relatively short timeframe to get this working or to move on to do something else.

Like our journalism? Then please:This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Subscribe-1.png

If you want to secure the future of IrishCycle.com please sign up for monthly membership at ko-fi.com/irishcycle/tiers — after consulting with readers and people who have made businesses like this work, I am asking that people please consider at least €4 per month and more if they can.

It will help:

  • Support IrishCycle.com’s journalism covering cycling, and related issues.
  • Promote best practices in infrastructe and cover when things go wrong.
  • Allow for the time needed to produce a mix of indepth and shorter news and comment articles. For example, talk to more people, ask more questions, submit FOI requests etc.
  • Aim to source guest articles from a broad range of voices.
  • Fund a freelance budget and, hopefully, eventually a second member of staff.
  • Seek to balance of coverage, ie more coverage outside of Dublin.

A bit of background for newer readers:

IrishCycle.com run by me, Cian Ginty — I have reported on and commented on cycling in Ireland for over a decade. I have a background in journalism, with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City Univerity (DCU), and an HDip in Print Journalism from Ballyfermot College of Further Education (BCFE).

Just over a decade ago, I was writing about cycling (and other issues) for national newspapers, and, in 2009, I started CyclingInDublin.com first for overflow stories and more details than any newspaper could print. That grew into what IrishCycle.com is today.

To help keep IrishCycle.com going please visit https://ko-fi.com/irishcycle/tiers today and sign up to give what you can per month. You can also use Ko-Fi to send one-off support, but, if you can, please consider monthly as it allows IrishCycle.com to plan ahead.

How reader funding is helping save independent media across the world

Thank you,

Cian Ginty
Editor, IrishCycle.com

PS: A new redesign has also been implemented — this time with professional help from a WordPress developer to avoid any technical issues. We’re still making a few tweaks, but please comment below or Tweet @IrishCycle if you have any feedback.


...That's the end of the article. Keep scrolling if you want to the comments, but IrishCycle.com *NEEDS* readers like you to keep it that way. It only requires a small percentage of readers to give a bit each month or every year to keep IrishCycle.com's journalism open to all. Thank you.


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