Daily Ireland folds…
The Daily Ireland, Andersonstown News Group’s attempt to shake up Irish daily newsmarket has folded. It comes as little surprise to Slugger regulars since the most recent figures indicated zero growth, whilst its main rival for reader’s (and advertisers) was the only UK newspaper to actually grow its figures. Staff were told first thing this morning and are currently in a meeting with the management.
Jude’s clomuns are very very sad. he is one of those comfortable, liberal provo lovers who revel in the comfort of their armchairs. The BBC should stop giving him so much work as well for two main reasons – he is avowedly sectarian; he is an awful bore.
Hear, hear on those last two.
Can I just point out that a bottle of fine champagne was popped at a party I attended last night(it had been on ice for this inevitable occasion) and a toast made to DI’s timely death.
There is hope for us all. Chin-chin!
Levitas, to my mind makes a most important comment not only on the collapse of Daily Ireland but on the totally philistine attitudes towards its demise.
I am old enough to remember when the major morning dailies in the north of Ireland were the conservative unionist Northern Whig and the conservative nationalist Irish News. The Belfast Telegraph was the only evening paper, as today, and on Saturdays (in those pre-tv days)produced a “Pink” with the latest sports results which was eagerly awaited and instantly gobbled up.
Then the unionist Newsletter, modern, readable, light (or lite as we would now say) arrived and the Northern Whig folded.
So what? No big loss maybe? Oh no, a very big loss indeed. The Northern Whig was the oldest daily newspaper in these islands and, whatever one’s opinion of its editorial position, commanded a reverence for that and the singularity of its own integrity.
Strangely the only people I heard mourn its demise were progressive writers and artists, trade unionists, communists and republicans – the very people who were invariably the main target of its wrath.
When a man has his enemies gather in respect at his funeral it says a lot about the quality of the man. But it also says a hell of a lot more of the quality of his enemies.
Keep telling yourself that, kid.
The day DI died was a great day for reconcilation on this island. Another one in the eye for the facsists. Cheers!
PS Philistine you say?
Beautiful. The West Belfast fascists’ vanity project lost. That was the real defeat for philistinism. We can all sleep easier as a result. And forgive the true democrats amongst us enjoying the demise of this disgusting hate rag, just as DI gloried in basesectarianism, the glorification of sectarian slaughter and pathetic, failed, nationalist-socialist spite.
A great week. Again: cheers!
Rory, you’re pretty old if you remember the News Letter coming along… in 1737. It was and remains the oldest newspaper in Ireland and the oldest English-language newspaper still in print in the world. The Northern Whig was founded in 1791.
It seems Professor M, that at least I am sufficeintly old for my memory to be playing me tricks. I suspect I was confusing a relaunch of the Newsletter in a new format back in the days. The typeface and layout of the Whig seemed as though it had remained unchanged since the eighteenth century but I was happily ignorant of the date of the Newsletter’s foundation.
Thank you for giving me the true story which I will now no doubt instantly forget.
While you are on memory lane Rory, ‘the Pink’ was published well into the 1980′s or perhaps even beyond. certainly long after the arrival of TV.
I’m not surprised, Brendan, it was incredibly popular. In the days before TV when the pubs shit at 9.30pm, the barbers’ shops stayed open until 11pm on Saturaday nights and were a great meeting point for men to talk football, boxing and of course horse racing and the Pink was eagerly awaited to provide a focus for rivalries, predictions, whoops and curses.
The last “pink” in Britain, I believe, published its last edition just a few months ago in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. There were a few nice tributes on radio and telly at the time.
It’s not often that The Blanket and I are in full agreement, but can I say I said it first?
http://lark.phoblacht.net/GA10090618g.html
Is Geraldine Adams Gerrys sister, I reckon Gerry will be sending one Christmas card less this year.
And so ends a weekend of partying at the ‘expense’ of the death of this hate sheet. Onwards and upwards.
Cheers!
Unionist’s vitriol and glee at the demise of the Daily reland seems to be down to – as usual – their fear; fear that an influential organ of thought might succeed in bringing some unity of political spirit between the north and the south. Such a spectre of all-island republican unity made them crap themselves and so hence all the popping of champagne corks now that the threat seems to have passed.
Quite similar to the way they crapped themselves and have been complaining ever since about the ‘pan-nationalist front’, which they considered to be a grave and present danger.
Similar in fact to every sign of nationalist stregth or unity, such as the GAA, which as recent discussions have shown they feel entitled to hate because apparently its not unionist or british enough.
They feel the need not simply to ignore irishness or allow it simply to be – no, they have to hate it, pour scorn on it and let rip with their own unself-reflective, morally self-righteous bile and spleen.
Because they’re afraid.
On the other score, Daily Ireland seems to have folded because those who ran it seemed to be peering out from their bunkers in west belfast, incapable of truly comprehending ireland in an all-Ireland way. Perhaps if they wanted to have an all-Ireland paper they should have based it in Dublin. The whole thing seems to show that despite efforts to feel and act to the contrary, there is a fundamental difference in the colour and tenor of people’s lives in the north than the lives of those in the south and 80 years of partition has had its effect. Even those who wished to overcome it couldn’t. Or at least can’t yet.
Perhaps if they wanted to have an all-Ireland paper they should have based it in Dublin. The whole thing seems to show that despite efforts to feel and act to the contrary, there is a fundamental difference in the colour and tenor of people’s lives in the north than the lives of those in the south and 80 years of partition has had its effect. Even those who wished to overcome it couldn’t. Or at least can’t yet.
Posted by Harry
Harry,
There would have been no British State handouts if DI had been based in Dublin, other wise I agree with your post.
Regards
I only looked at the DI a couple of times and was unimpressed with it and haven’t seen or looked at it for a long time.
I will share this quip with you all from a party i was at on sat night.
When mentioned that DI was folding the comment was
“Must have run out of Northern Bank notes”
Everybody laughed and the conversation moved on as we should do so.
Words can’t describe how disappointed I was to be out of the country when this happened.
Indeed – you missed several parties.