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Daily Ireland to cease printing | Daily Ireland to cease printing |
(20 minutes later) | |
The Belfast-based newspaper Daily Ireland is to cease publication with the loss of up to 15 jobs. | |
The last edition of the paper, launched in February 2005, will be on Friday. | |
Managing director Mairtin O Muilleoir said the government's "refusal" to allow it to "tender for advertisements was a major factor in its collapse". | |
The government said it regretted the closure. It added that the paper was free to tender for advertisements but "chose" not to. | |
Daily Ireland reduced its daily coverage to five days earlier this year. | |
Paying tribute to staff, supporters and readers, Mr O Muilleoir said the newspaper had played a vital role in promoting the nationalist case "at a time when McCarthyism and anti-nationalist voices were in the ascendancy". | Paying tribute to staff, supporters and readers, Mr O Muilleoir said the newspaper had played a vital role in promoting the nationalist case "at a time when McCarthyism and anti-nationalist voices were in the ascendancy". |
"We are very proud of the achievements of the Daily Ireland team over the past 20 months," he said. | "We are very proud of the achievements of the Daily Ireland team over the past 20 months," he said. |
Legal challenge | Legal challenge |
"We hope we have inspired others to take up where we have left off and that this is more a time-out than an ending." | "We hope we have inspired others to take up where we have left off and that this is more a time-out than an ending." |
Daily Ireland has lodged a legal challenge to what it claims is the "refusal" of the NIO to advertise in the paper. | |
The Office of First and Deputy First Minister said the case would be "robustly" defended. | |
It added: "All government advertising is in line with approved equality schemes and Daily Ireland did receive government advertising. | |
"The tender for recruitment and classified advertising which is currently out in the marketplace is open to all daily newspapers circulating in Northern Ireland, including Daily Ireland." | |
The most recent Audit Bureau of Circulation figures show that Daily Ireland was selling 10,080 copies each day. | The most recent Audit Bureau of Circulation figures show that Daily Ireland was selling 10,080 copies each day. |
This compares with Belfast Telegraph sales of 90,827; Irish News 49,272 and News Letter, 28,293. | This compares with Belfast Telegraph sales of 90,827; Irish News 49,272 and News Letter, 28,293. |
Daily Ireland is the second Belfast-based newspaper to fold within 16 months. | Daily Ireland is the second Belfast-based newspaper to fold within 16 months. |
In May last year, the Daily View collapsed with the loss of 17 journalists' jobs after publishing for just five weeks. | In May last year, the Daily View collapsed with the loss of 17 journalists' jobs after publishing for just five weeks. |
Daily View, produced by Local Press Ltd, had been heralded as a cross-community newspaper. |