Thank you for a wonderful 30 Years 

I know that they say that ‘time flies’ and particularly so as you get older, but where has the last 30 years gone?

For sure, it has been three decades of great change. How much technology has advanced our cars, vans, trucks and all vehicles is amazing, and so too in the hi-tech publishing world that exists today. The change has been truly astonishing and I have been blessed to see those advancements come alive all over the world.

We have evolved from dirty diesels and lead fueled petrols to all electric cars and even hydrogen powered taxis in cities such as Paris. I remember being in Brussels as one of the first journalists to drive a Toyota Prius hybrid in Europe. Another occasion – being among the first European journalists to test electric and hydrogen cars in northern California and Shanghai, and other places.

I know it sounds like name dropping but it was simply a privilege to be able to report on those and many more technologies. There must have been hundreds of factory and laboratory visits mixed in with car, van, 4×4 and tyre testing on five continents (I never worked in Oceania or Antarctica).

While I had thousands of hours of exhilarating testing, seeing wonderful new places, meeting many great people, I also experienced many thousands more boring hours hanging around at venues and airports abroad, on flights and driving home.

And after all that the real work had to be completed – ‘the job is never finished until the paper-work is done’. Well there was a lot more paperwork 30 years ago. We started our own tech journey with Apple’s first first mass-market desktop computer and their floppy drive/disks, the Macintosh 128K in 1985, and we are still evolving with the latest Apple computers today.

Over the years, we have added to our regularly published print and digital publications plus annual yearbooks and diaries. In 2014, we founded and have grown the Auto Trade EXPO and CV Workshop EXPO, as well as administering the Auto Trade Awards. We keep evolving, and try to always be better every time.

Of course the Auto Trade Journal (AutoTrade.ie) and our other publications would not be possible without our many advertisers and thousands of readers. For that we are most thankful and never take either for granted. Thank you so much for being there in ever growing numbers through good times and bad.

With great resilience, you and I have survived depressions, recessions, pandemics, Brexit, and many other crises. We are all stronger and thankful for that.

A big mention and thank you to our key long-term team – John Loughran, Eoin Cuttle, Eddie Cunningham, Catherine Conboy and Trevor Nally, as well our previous team members and many contributors (past and present).

I would also like to remember a great former team member, Edel Beisty, whom we lost from this world on the same weekend as our last Auto Trade EXPO – Edel is gone but not forgotten.

Thank you to all our team for your dedication and professionalism, and as we continue the journey we will continue to try to be the best at what we do for our readers and advertisers.

Here’s to the next 30 years, when there will be many more challenges – ‘the only  constant is change’ and we will evolve to deliver for you.

Lastly, click HERE to access the 30 Year Edition of the Auto Trade Journal.

Many thanks and kindest regards,

Padraic Deane,
Publisher & Managing Director,
Automotive Publications.