[caption id="attachment_66588" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="The Irish Post's final issue won't be its last if new backers are found."]
Hundreds of Irish community groups in Britain have joined together in a call to save the Irish Post newspaper.
The Post went into liquidation earlier this month with the loss of 12 jobs.
The Irish Times reported that the Federation of Irish Societies in Britain had described the paper as more than a business" and an "institution" drawing upon inter-generational loyalty and international standing.
The federation said it would seek potential backers in an effort to resurrect the paper.
In a statement issued by its chief executive Jennie McShannon, the federation praised the impact it said the newspaper had had on the Irish in Britain
"The Irish Post has been our strength, our core. It has bound the community together and provided a much needed focus. It has celebrated our identity, history, culture and sports; highlighted our achievements; reflected our concerns; defended our interests," she said.
"In forty years of publication, the Irish Post has provided the definition of our community. It weathered the storms of the Troubles and provided support for the peacemakers on all sides. It has been a source of wisdom and authority for the community. It printed our complaints and listened to our views," McShannon added.
The closure was initiated by Thomas Crosbie Holdings, which published the Irish Examiner.
McShannon, according to the Times report, said the liquidators had already received several expressions of interest in taking over the title.
Irish presidential candidate Michael D Higgins, meanwhile, described the closure as a "sad day for the Irish in Britain."
The paper's closure meant the cutting of a "hugely important link" between the Irish at home and the Irish abroad, he said.
