Donegal Democrat
Encyclopedia
The Donegal Democrat is a twice-weekly local newspaper
, covering County Donegal
, part of the Province of Ulster
, in the northwest of Ireland
. The paper was traditionally based in the town of Ballyshannon
in the south of the county, but now has offices in Donegal Town (southern edition) and Letterkenny
(northern edition). The Donegal Democrat is the largest paper focused solely on County Donegal, and its current editor is Michael Daly. The paper was the only one published in south Donegal from the mid-twentieth century on, and so has gained a reputation of being the local paper of record for that part of the county. Its main rivals in the north of the county are its stable-mate, the Derry Journal
as well as the Letterkenny Post
, and the Donegal Post
and Finn Valley Post
in the south. It had a combined ABC circulation for its Tuesday and Thursday editions of 23,792, for the first half of 2007.
Since its launch, the paper has been published weekly on a Thursday in broadsheet
format, and in recent years has become part of a chain of titles that are published three times per week in the county. The paper is now almost entirely integrated with the Donegal People’s Press
, a paper published on Tuesdays in a Compact
format. The People’s Press was traditionally a north Donegal paper and so, with minor alterations, is published as a Tuesday edition of the Donegal Democrat in the south of the county.
In March 2004, the Sunday Democrat was launched as an edition of the Sunday Journal
, it changed its name later that year to Donegal on Sunday
and is still the only local newspaper published in Ireland on a Sunday. The Donegal Democrat group is owned by Johnston Press
through the holding company Derry Journal Newspapers
, who publish several other titles in counties Donegal and Londonderry
.
The editorial in the first issue set out that it was to be a "non-political paper in a world of politics, but we believed that in doing so we are doing right. We are making our bow to the public at a critical period in our national and local history and it shall be ever our object to uphold anything that, will further the national and local interests."
The paper had a fairly militant, nationalist
policy, which, during the Irish War of Independence
, led to it being raided on several occasions by police and British soldiers, who on one occasion announced that they were looking for a "typewriting machine". But they left on being assured that there was no such machine on the premises.
For its first years, the paper was completely hand set, with each letter of type being placed individually; it was not surprising therefore that there were only 10 pages, measuring 9 inches by 11 inches. Its front page contained mostly adverts, with no photos in the paper at all. Over the next few years the paper gradually increased in size and circulation, and in 1922 got its first typesetting machine.
group which in turn became part of Trinity Mirror
. In 2004 the paper was purchased by the 3i
holding company Local Press Ltd, and changed hands again in 2005, when Johnston Press took over Local Press. It is now part of the Derry Journal Newspapers
holding company
, as well as an environmental contribution from Donegal County Council
and a women's section compiled by the 'Donegal Women’s Network'. It also includes a series of columnists and editorials including 'It Occurs To Me' by Frank Galigan, and the 'Thursday Interview', where high profile local figures discuss important issues with the paper’s journalists. The Big Donegal Weekend was launched On 6 March 2008. This paper comes free with the Democrat and includes features on topics such as entertainment, shopping, property, lifestyle.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, covering County Donegal
County Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
, part of the Province of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
, in the northwest of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The paper was traditionally based in the town of Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon
Ballyshannon is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located where the N3 and N15 cross the River Erne, and claims to be the oldest town in Ireland.-Location:...
in the south of the county, but now has offices in Donegal Town (southern edition) and Letterkenny
Letterkenny
Letterkenny , with a population of 17,568, is the largest town in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland. The town is located on the River Swilly...
(northern edition). The Donegal Democrat is the largest paper focused solely on County Donegal, and its current editor is Michael Daly. The paper was the only one published in south Donegal from the mid-twentieth century on, and so has gained a reputation of being the local paper of record for that part of the county. Its main rivals in the north of the county are its stable-mate, the Derry Journal
Derry Journal
The Derry Journal is a newspaper based in Derry, Northern Ireland, serving County Londonderry as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by a Johnston Press holding company entitled Derry Journal Newspapers. The paper is published on Tuesday and Friday and is a sister...
as well as the Letterkenny Post
Letterkenny Post
The Letterkenny Post is a freesheet newspaper published by River Media in Letterkenny, County Donegal. It was the first paper from River Media. The newspaper specialises in property, motoring, entertainment, farming and fashion. Its offices are located at the Dry Arch Business Park, Bonagee...
, and the Donegal Post
Donegal Post
The Donegal Post is a local weekly regional newspaper published in County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland. When the paper was first launched by River Media in June 2006, it served the area of south Donegal, west Fermanagh, north Leitrim and north Sligo....
and Finn Valley Post
Finn Valley Post
The Finn Valley Post is a local newspaper in County Donegal, Ireland, based in the town of Ballybofey. The paper was first published on 18 July 2007 by the River Media group, which produces other local titles such as the Donegal Post and Letterkenny Post...
in the south. It had a combined ABC circulation for its Tuesday and Thursday editions of 23,792, for the first half of 2007.
Since its launch, the paper has been published weekly on a Thursday in broadsheet
Broadsheet
Broadsheet is the largest of the various newspaper formats and is characterized by long vertical pages . The term derives from types of popular prints usually just of a single sheet, sold on the streets and containing various types of material, from ballads to political satire. The first broadsheet...
format, and in recent years has become part of a chain of titles that are published three times per week in the county. The paper is now almost entirely integrated with the Donegal People’s Press
Donegal People’s Press
The Donegal People's Press is a weekly local newspaper in north County Donegal, Ireland. The paper is published every Tuesday in the north of the county, and a separate edition of the paper, with some alterations, is published in the south of the county, as the Tuesday edition of the Donegal...
, a paper published on Tuesdays in a Compact
Compact (newspaper)
A compact newspaper is a broadsheet-quality newspaper printed in a tabloid format, especially one in the United Kingdom. The term is used also for this size came into use in its current use when The Independent began producing a smaller format edition for London's commuters, designed to be easier...
format. The People’s Press was traditionally a north Donegal paper and so, with minor alterations, is published as a Tuesday edition of the Donegal Democrat in the south of the county.
In March 2004, the Sunday Democrat was launched as an edition of the Sunday Journal
Sunday Journal
The Sunday Journal is a local newspaper published in Derry, Northern Ireland that was launched in March 2004 as part of the Derry Journal newspaper group. The paper, along with its Donegal on Sunday edition, is the only local paper on the island of Ireland to be published on a Sunday, with a...
, it changed its name later that year to Donegal on Sunday
Donegal on Sunday
Donegal on Sunday is a local tabloid newspaper published in County Donegal, Ireland that was launched in March 2004 as an edition of the Sunday Journal published by the Derry Journal. It was originally called the Sunday Democrat and is based in Letterkenny...
and is still the only local newspaper published in Ireland on a Sunday. The Donegal Democrat group is owned by Johnston Press
Johnston Press
Johnston Press plc is a newspaper publishing company headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its flagship titles are The Scotsman and the Yorkshire Post; it also operates many other newspapers around the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. It is the second-largest publisher...
through the holding company Derry Journal Newspapers
Derry Journal Newspapers
Derry Journal Newspapers is a holding company of Johnston Press that operates several local newspapers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its key titles include the second oldest newspaper still in existence in Ireland, the Derry Journal and the Donegal Democrat both of whom are the...
, who publish several other titles in counties Donegal and Londonderry
County Londonderry
The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists...
.
Early years
The paper was first published on June 16th, 1919 and was founded by John Downey.The editorial in the first issue set out that it was to be a "non-political paper in a world of politics, but we believed that in doing so we are doing right. We are making our bow to the public at a critical period in our national and local history and it shall be ever our object to uphold anything that, will further the national and local interests."
The paper had a fairly militant, nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
policy, which, during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, led to it being raided on several occasions by police and British soldiers, who on one occasion announced that they were looking for a "typewriting machine". But they left on being assured that there was no such machine on the premises.
For its first years, the paper was completely hand set, with each letter of type being placed individually; it was not surprising therefore that there were only 10 pages, measuring 9 inches by 11 inches. Its front page contained mostly adverts, with no photos in the paper at all. Over the next few years the paper gradually increased in size and circulation, and in 1922 got its first typesetting machine.
Recent History
In 1995, the paper was bought by the Derry JournalDerry Journal
The Derry Journal is a newspaper based in Derry, Northern Ireland, serving County Londonderry as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by a Johnston Press holding company entitled Derry Journal Newspapers. The paper is published on Tuesday and Friday and is a sister...
group which in turn became part of Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror
Trinity Mirror plc is a large British newspaper and magazine publisher. It is Britain's biggest newspaper group, publishing 240 regional papers as well as the national Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and People, and the Scottish Sunday Mail and Daily Record. Its headquarters are at Canary Wharf in...
. In 2004 the paper was purchased by the 3i
3i
3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...
holding company Local Press Ltd, and changed hands again in 2005, when Johnston Press took over Local Press. It is now part of the Derry Journal Newspapers
Derry Journal Newspapers
Derry Journal Newspapers is a holding company of Johnston Press that operates several local newspapers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Its key titles include the second oldest newspaper still in existence in Ireland, the Derry Journal and the Donegal Democrat both of whom are the...
holding company
Features
Both the Tuesday and Thursday editions of the paper share many common features and columns such as 'Gabrielle’s Diary', a society column which sees the column’s writer Gabrielle McMonagle, attend local charity and social events; an agricultural page entitled 'Farming Week'; a special section called 'Letterkenny in Focus', looking at developments in the county’s largest town; local notes for the various towns and villages in the county; death, birth and marriage announcements; and job, motor and property sections in partnership with the Irish sections of the Johnston Press owned websites, 'Jobs Today', 'Motors Today' and 'Property Today'.Tuesday
The Tuesday edition (available as the Donegal People’s Press in the north of the county), is in compact format and is seventy-two pages with full colour; through its features, it is a little less 'rigid' than the Thursday paper. It contains a seven day TV guide, a weekly contribution from the youth media website 'Spun Out', and columnists such as 'Pat’s Patch' by Pat McArt.Thursday
The Thursday paper, which is available throughout the county, is a broadsheet in two sections, each of which are twenty-four pages in size, twenty of which are in colour. It includes feature’s such as 'Mind Yourself', a series of stories on mental health supported by the HSEHealth Service Executive
The Health Service Executive is responsible for the provision of healthcare providing health and personal social services for everyone living in Ireland, with public funds. The Executive was established by the Health Act, 2004 and came into official operation on January 1, 2005...
, as well as an environmental contribution from Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Donegal in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The head of the council has the title of Mayor...
and a women's section compiled by the 'Donegal Women’s Network'. It also includes a series of columnists and editorials including 'It Occurs To Me' by Frank Galigan, and the 'Thursday Interview', where high profile local figures discuss important issues with the paper’s journalists. The Big Donegal Weekend was launched On 6 March 2008. This paper comes free with the Democrat and includes features on topics such as entertainment, shopping, property, lifestyle.