Star's Nicole takes the reins of ‘Ireland' account

THE Southern Star’s Digital Marketing Executive is to lead up a Twitter account with 55,000 followers for a week – giving a unique insight into life in a weekly newspaper. 

Nicole O’Riordan will take over the reins at the @Ireland Twitter account which introduces a new voice every Monday morning. 

As the Ireland of today is not confined to the island of Ireland, the varied voices of @Ireland come from Ireland and across the world, Nicole, from Ballyvourney explains. 

Started in March 2012 and inspired by the @Sweden project,
@Ireland is based around the idea that a single voice cannot represent a country. 

Nicole said: ‘I lived abroad for five years before moving back to West Cork, and I used to follow the account to keep up-to-date with the different issues in Ireland. Because it’s curated by a different person each week, from all walks of life, you read about things that you wouldn’t necessarily hear about on the news. From a farmer in Courtmacsherry one week, to a foreign national in university the next – it’s really eye-opening to see how diverse our little country is.’

Nicole hopes to give people an insight into life at a local newspaper, how traditional and digital media can work together, and also to promote West Cork, Gaeilge and travel. 

‘I have lots of photos and videos ready to give people a little glimpse into life here in the heart of West Cork. I came from a digital background into working for a newspaper and think it’s a really interesting topic, especially for younger people who might not be so familiar with how newspapers work. ‘ Nicole is also studying part-time for a Masters in Digital Marketing Strategy in Cork and will talk a little about that, too, while she’s at the helm, from October 9th to 15th.