Irish Daily Mail
Encyclopedia
The Irish Daily Mail is a newspaper published in the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland by Associated Newspapers
. The paper was launched in February 2006 with a launch strategy that included giving away free copies on the first day of circulation and low pricing subsequently. (The 2009 price is one euro). The aim of this strategy was to attract readers away from the Irish Independent
.
Despite initially promising sales, some commentators had claimed that the newspaper's circulation has fallen by 2006, a charge denied by the newspaper's editor-in-chief. In the first half of 2008 weekly sales of 53,000 were claimed, with 131,000 readers. "The Irish Mail on Sunday" claimed average weekend sales in the same period of 123,000. By early 2010 daily sales of the Irish Daily Mail had dropped to about 49,000, in line with an overall drop in sales. On Saturday May 1, 2010, following the death of Gerry Ryan
and aided by a promotional CD, the paper sold 75,000 copies - the highest circulation figure since July 2008.
British media analyst Roy Greenslade
argued that falling sales are because whereas the British version of the Daily Mail
acutely understands its readership, "None of that understanding of the culture, politics and genuine interests of the Irish people is evident in the pages of the Irish Daily Mail". By 2009 this policy had changed as it was offering Irish language
wallcharts for schoolchildren, and most of its coverage was about Irish subjects, though it is frequently scathing about politicians.
Irish columnists are contributing to the paper, with Ronan Mullen
's column, for example, in the Irish Daily Mail since May 2006. Ronan Mullen
was previously a columnist
with the Irish Examiner
. Mary Ellen Synon
, a former Sunday Independent
columnist who had controversial views on travellers
, asylum seekers and the Paralympics is a regular contributor to the paper.
On 24 September 2006, Ireland on Sunday
, which had been purchased by Associated Newspapers in 2001, was rebranded
as the Irish Mail on Sunday, replacing the British edition of the Mail on Sunday in the Irish market.
In February 2007 Fine Gael
leader Enda Kenny
cited the Irish Daily Mail in the Dáil regarding a front page which depicted a CT scanner
that lay idle in a laundry room.
The parent company Daily Mail in London also faced allegations back in 1997 of anti-Irish prejudice, and was reported to the Press Complaints Commission
on these grounds by the non-governmental organisation the Pat Finucane Centre
.
In April 2009, it was pointed out by popular British science blog The Lay Scientist that while the Irish Daily Mail were campaigning for the reintroduction of the HPV vaccine in Ireland, the Daily Mail in London were printing stories attacking the vaccine. The contradiction was condemned by many, including comedy writer Graham Linehan
.
In February 2011 there was strong criticism of the newspaper for publishing an edition with a front page masthead and layout which replicated those of its rival, the Sunday Tribune (which was not published after being placed in receivership). The National Consumer Agency confirmed it was considering prosecuting the Irish Mail on Sunday for a breach of the Consumer Protection Act and the secretary of the National Union of Journalists, described the move by the as “crass and cynical” He added: “This was a cynical marketing exercise and represents a new low in Irish journalism. There can be no justification for the decision to reproduce the Sunday Tribune masthead instead of the Sunday Mail ’s own masthead.” The following July, the Mail paid "a six figure sum" to settle a legal action brought by the receiver for "passing off".
In July 2011, the newspaper refused to pass on the Government's VAT reduction to its readers. Taoiseach Enda Kenny
said that businesses to which the new lower VAT rate applied would be "failing Ireland" if they did not pass on the reduction. Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain
said: "I really think the Daily Mail's refusal to pass on the Government's VAT cut represents a real slap in the face to Irish consumers." It is estimated the Daily Mail will save approximately €750,000 as a result of this decision. The Phoenix Magazine
noted however that the Daily Mail "with a cover price of €1, the Mail is one
of the cheapest daily newspapers in the country and is 85c cheaper than the Indo (Irish Independent
)". It also commented that Aodhan O Riordain
's wife, Aine Kerr, was a former political correspondent with the Irish Independent, the papers main rival who "was more than happy to print the story".
Days later a damning report from Britain's Information Commissioner found that the Irish Daily Mail was involved in the illegal trade of obtaining personal information on driving licenses, criminal records, vehicle registration searches, reverse telephone traces and mobile-phone conversations.
On 1 February 2011 it was announced that the Sunday Tribune
had gone into receivership, with fresh investment being sought by McStay Luby. The following day it was announced that there would be no further edition of the newspaper for four weeks. The last issue appeared on 30 January 2011. On 6 February 2011, the Irish Mail on Sunday committed a "shameless" crime when it allowed copies of its newspaper go on sale with an imitation Sunday Tribune cover. This plagiarism was "denounced" when it became public. The Irish Mail on Sunday was subsequently sued. The fake Mail on Sunday featured a "wraparound" cover with a heading saying "a special edition designed for readers of the Sunday Tribune".
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Northern Ireland by Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers is a large national newspaper publisher in the UK, which is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The group was established in 1905 and is currently based at Northcliffe House in Kensington...
. The paper was launched in February 2006 with a launch strategy that included giving away free copies on the first day of circulation and low pricing subsequently. (The 2009 price is one euro). The aim of this strategy was to attract readers away from the Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
.
Despite initially promising sales, some commentators had claimed that the newspaper's circulation has fallen by 2006, a charge denied by the newspaper's editor-in-chief. In the first half of 2008 weekly sales of 53,000 were claimed, with 131,000 readers. "The Irish Mail on Sunday" claimed average weekend sales in the same period of 123,000. By early 2010 daily sales of the Irish Daily Mail had dropped to about 49,000, in line with an overall drop in sales. On Saturday May 1, 2010, following the death of Gerry Ryan
Gerry Ryan
Gerard "Gerry" Ryan was an Irish presenter of radio and television employed by Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
and aided by a promotional CD, the paper sold 75,000 copies - the highest circulation figure since July 2008.
British media analyst Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade
Roy Greenslade is Professor of Journalism at City University London and has been a media commentator since 1992, most notably for The Guardian....
argued that falling sales are because whereas the British version of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
acutely understands its readership, "None of that understanding of the culture, politics and genuine interests of the Irish people is evident in the pages of the Irish Daily Mail". By 2009 this policy had changed as it was offering Irish language
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
wallcharts for schoolchildren, and most of its coverage was about Irish subjects, though it is frequently scathing about politicians.
Irish columnists are contributing to the paper, with Ronan Mullen
Rónán Mullen
Rónán Thomas Mullen is an independent Irish Senator and delegate to the Council of Europe. He was elected in the National University of Ireland Seanad constituency in July 2007 and re-elected for a second term in 2011. Mullen is a frequent media commentator on social and political topics...
's column, for example, in the Irish Daily Mail since May 2006. Ronan Mullen
Rónán Mullen
Rónán Thomas Mullen is an independent Irish Senator and delegate to the Council of Europe. He was elected in the National University of Ireland Seanad constituency in July 2007 and re-elected for a second term in 2011. Mullen is a frequent media commentator on social and political topics...
was previously a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
with the Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner
The Irish Examiner, formerly The Cork Examiner and then The Examiner, is an Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork, though it is available throughout the country...
. Mary Ellen Synon
Mary Ellen Synon
Mary Ellen Synon is an Irish-American journalist currently based in Brussels. She is a columnist with the Mail on Sunday and a contributor to the Daily Mail in Britain and the Irish Daily Mail, as well as the Irish weekly, The Sunday Business Post. She writes a blog - titled "Euroseptic" - for the...
, a former Sunday Independent
Sunday Independent
The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. The newspaper is edited by Aengus Fanning, and is the biggest selling Irish Sunday newspaper by a large margin ; average circulation of 291,323 between June 2004 and January 2005,...
columnist who had controversial views on travellers
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, asylum seekers and the Paralympics is a regular contributor to the paper.
On 24 September 2006, Ireland on Sunday
Ireland on Sunday
Ireland on Sunday was a Sunday newspaper in the Republic of Ireland, published by Associated Newspapers Ireland Limited, a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc...
, which had been purchased by Associated Newspapers in 2001, was rebranded
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
as the Irish Mail on Sunday, replacing the British edition of the Mail on Sunday in the Irish market.
In February 2007 Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
leader Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
cited the Irish Daily Mail in the Dáil regarding a front page which depicted a CT scanner
Computed tomography
X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...
that lay idle in a laundry room.
Controversies
The paper has faced criticism for attempting to transfer its traditional campaigns on topics such as the EU and immigration and asylum from the British market to Ireland. In Ireland, the EU and immigration were considered building blocks of Ireland's economic boom and as such did not raise the same furious reactions from readers as they do in Britain. It regularly covered the Lisbon Treaty debate, opposing acceptance of the treaty leading up to the referendum in June 2008.The parent company Daily Mail in London also faced allegations back in 1997 of anti-Irish prejudice, and was reported to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
on these grounds by the non-governmental organisation the Pat Finucane Centre
Pat Finucane Centre
The Pat Finucane Centre is a human rights advocacy and lobbying entity in Northern Ireland. Named in honour of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane, it operates advice centres in Derry and Newry, dealing mainly with complaints from nationalists and republicans...
.
In April 2009, it was pointed out by popular British science blog The Lay Scientist that while the Irish Daily Mail were campaigning for the reintroduction of the HPV vaccine in Ireland, the Daily Mail in London were printing stories attacking the vaccine. The contradiction was condemned by many, including comedy writer Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan is an Irish television writer, actor, comedian and director who, often in partnership with Arthur Mathews, has written or co-written a number of popular television comedies...
.
In February 2011 there was strong criticism of the newspaper for publishing an edition with a front page masthead and layout which replicated those of its rival, the Sunday Tribune (which was not published after being placed in receivership). The National Consumer Agency confirmed it was considering prosecuting the Irish Mail on Sunday for a breach of the Consumer Protection Act and the secretary of the National Union of Journalists, described the move by the as “crass and cynical” He added: “This was a cynical marketing exercise and represents a new low in Irish journalism. There can be no justification for the decision to reproduce the Sunday Tribune masthead instead of the Sunday Mail ’s own masthead.” The following July, the Mail paid "a six figure sum" to settle a legal action brought by the receiver for "passing off".
In July 2011, the newspaper refused to pass on the Government's VAT reduction to its readers. Taoiseach Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
said that businesses to which the new lower VAT rate applied would be "failing Ireland" if they did not pass on the reduction. Labour TD Aodhan O Riordain
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency at the 2011 general election. He was previously a member of Dublin City Council for the Clontarf electoral area from 2004–11. He is a former teacher and was Principal...
said: "I really think the Daily Mail's refusal to pass on the Government's VAT cut represents a real slap in the face to Irish consumers." It is estimated the Daily Mail will save approximately €750,000 as a result of this decision. The Phoenix Magazine
The Phoenix (magazine)
The Phoenix is Ireland's best selling political and current affairs magazine. Inspired by the British magazine Private Eye, and a source of investigative journalism in Ireland...
noted however that the Daily Mail "with a cover price of €1, the Mail is one
of the cheapest daily newspapers in the country and is 85c cheaper than the Indo (Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
)". It also commented that Aodhan O Riordain
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is an Irish Labour Party politician. He was elected as a Teachta Dála for the Dublin North Central constituency at the 2011 general election. He was previously a member of Dublin City Council for the Clontarf electoral area from 2004–11. He is a former teacher and was Principal...
's wife, Aine Kerr, was a former political correspondent with the Irish Independent, the papers main rival who "was more than happy to print the story".
Days later a damning report from Britain's Information Commissioner found that the Irish Daily Mail was involved in the illegal trade of obtaining personal information on driving licenses, criminal records, vehicle registration searches, reverse telephone traces and mobile-phone conversations.
On 1 February 2011 it was announced that the Sunday Tribune
Sunday Tribune
The Sunday Tribune was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tabloid. Former editors include Conor Brady, Vincent Browne,...
had gone into receivership, with fresh investment being sought by McStay Luby. The following day it was announced that there would be no further edition of the newspaper for four weeks. The last issue appeared on 30 January 2011. On 6 February 2011, the Irish Mail on Sunday committed a "shameless" crime when it allowed copies of its newspaper go on sale with an imitation Sunday Tribune cover. This plagiarism was "denounced" when it became public. The Irish Mail on Sunday was subsequently sued. The fake Mail on Sunday featured a "wraparound" cover with a heading saying "a special edition designed for readers of the Sunday Tribune".