THE IRISH TIMES Group has said it is committed to keeping RIP.ie “free to view” following its acquisition of the online death notice platform.

It was announced yesterday that RIP.ie, which was founded in 2005 by siblings Jay and Dympna Coleman, had been acquired.

In a statement yesterday, Deirdre Veldon, managing director of The Irish Times Group, noted that the media outlet has a “long tradition of publishing death and other family notices going back to the mid-1800s and we know how much these services matter to people”.

She added that this tradition “aligns with RIP.ie” and that The Irish Times Group “look forward to continuing to provide those services on our digital and print platforms”.

The acquisition had prompted concern that the online death notice platform would be placed behind a paywall.

However, in a statement issued to RTÉ’s Liveline, The Irish Times Group said “we will continue to provide a free to view, reliable and valued service to Irish communities”.

In an Irish Times article yesterday on the acquisition, RIP.ie founder Jay Coleman said he is “immensely proud of what RIP.ie has become and what it means to the people of Ireland”.

He added that The Irish Times is a “worthy custodian” and “one that will allow the site to grow and continue to offer a familiar and trusted resource for end-of-life matters”.

Neither Jay or Dympna come from a tech background – one worked in an office and the other on a farm – but gave up their day jobs to pursue the idea.

Speaking previously to The Journal, they said the idea grew out of the frustration the siblings felt after finding it difficult to get details of funerals online, or after missing funerals completely because of poor communication.