Dusting off the Callcards: What’s New and What’s Next?

The last few years have been a whirlwind, both personally and professionally. Between building a house, getting married, raising kids, and dealing with the global pandemic (as we all have)—oh, and how could I forget the aftermath of a major cyber attack at my day job—it’s safe to say life’s been hectic! During that time, I’ll admit that my passion for all things Callcards started to fade.
 
But 2024 brought some unexpected turns that have rekindled that spark.
 
The first surprise came when I received a voicemail from a Newstalk radio researcher inviting me to discuss all things Callcards... (link to interview), with an hours notice! So please appreciate that I was a little rusty on one or two specifics! It was great to let listeners know that Callcards are still popular with collectors.
Secondly, I recently learned a few new facts about Callcards that I didn’t know before, and I’m excited to share them with you soon. 
Third, I spoke to a few people both in person and online this year, who share a strong passion for Callcards.
 
For those who know me somewhat, it’s not about having a perfect, pristine collection displayed in glossy folders (though I wouldn’t say no!). What truly motivates me is the community of collectors who share this passion, exchanging stories and information. For me, it’s the story behind each Callcard that really matters. With this in mind, I dusted off my old Callcards.ie to-do list. As I went through my old notes, I realised that I have collected a lot of Callcard information over the years that’s never made it to the website—photos, press releases, newspaper clippings... just to name a few. So, I have put together a little project plan with milestones in 2024/2025 and all things going well, I hope to share this with all of you over the next while.
 
I'm sure that many of our regular visitors would agree that the site is well overdue a redesign, not to mention fixing up some of the issues plaguing the site for many years, such as improving optimisation (responsiveness) for smartphone screens. Soo... to kick things off, I have given the site a quick lick of paint while I try and figure out the longer-term plan regarding the technical and visual aspects of the site. There's a few bugs I need to work through but I'm eliminating them one by one.
 
Before I wrap up, I wanted to share with you that on a number of occasions, I have considered closing the site down. I have asked myself many times "is there still any interest out there for all things Callcards"? And I've generally pushed out this decision until I have had this headspace to thing things through. The main reason for this dilemma is simply costs. The website hosting fees have slowly crept up over the last 12 years, and I’m now paying just a few cents short of €240 a year to keep the lights on. I don't want to introduce advertising banners or anything like that on the site. I’m not a fan of asking for help, but I realise now that it’s necessary. So, I’ve set up a "Buy Me a Coffee" account. I will potentially look to promote it every now and then so appreciate if you can support in whatever small way you can. The link is at https://buymeacoffee.com/callcards
 
Looking ahead, I’m considering organising a Callcards collector meetup in 2025. If this is something you’d be interested in, I’d love to hear your thoughts or even get some help organizing it. Meeting as many of you as possible in person together would be really enoyable!
 
I’ve often debated whether to keep the site running, but the ongoing interest and support from fellow collectors have kept me motivated. If you’ve enjoyed the content over the years or found value in what I’ve shared, your support—whether through feedback, engagement, or even a small contribution—would mean a lot. Please reach our either via the site's contact page or on our Callcards Facebook page to gauge interest and discuss some ideas further.