64 papers still published in 29 counties, oldest first, with the Irish-language press and a few famous closures. Every founding year links to its source; where sources disagree we say so.
| Paper | County | Founded | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Letter | Antrim Belfast |
September 1737 | Wikipedia calls it “the world’s oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication”. First printed in Joy’s Entry, Belfast. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Irish Examiner | Cork | 1841 | Founded by John Francis Maguire as The Cork Examiner; The Examiner from 1996, the Irish Examiner from 2000. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Irish Times | Dublin | 29 March 1859 | An earlier paper called The Irish Times ran from 1823 to 1825; the present paper dates from 1859. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Belfast Telegraph | Antrim Belfast |
1 September 1870 | First published as the Belfast Evening Telegraph by William and George Baird. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Irish Field | Dublin | 1870 | Racing and bloodstock weekly, first called the Irish Sportsman and Farmer. Now owned by the trust behind the Irish Farmers Journal. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Herald | Dublin | 19 December 1891 | The Evening Herald until 2013, when it was renamed and became a morning paper. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Irish News | Antrim Belfast |
15 August 1891 | Launched as an anti-Parnell paper; merged with the Belfast Morning News in 1892. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Irish Independent | Dublin | 2 January 1905 | The Freeman’s Journal merged into it in 1924. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Sunday Independent | Dublin | 1905 (or 1906) | The article text says first published in 1905; its infobox says 1906. We give both. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Irish Farmers Journal | Dublin | 1948 (infobox) | Weekly farming paper, owned by The Agricultural Trust. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Sunday World | Dublin | 25 March 1973 | Launched by Hugh McLaughlin and Gerry McGuinness. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Irish Daily Star | Dublin | 29 February 1988 | Began as the Irish version of the British Daily Star. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Business Post | Dublin | 26 November 1989 | The Sunday Business Post until its renaming. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Irish Daily Mail | Dublin | February 2006 | Published by DMG Media. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Paper | County | Founded | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derry Journal | Londonderry Derry |
3 June 1772 | Wikipedia calls it “the second oldest newspaper still in existence in Ireland”. Renamed the Derry Journal in 1880; banned on both sides of the border, in 1932 and 1940. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Impartial Reporter | Fermanagh Enniskillen |
1825 | Founded by William Trimble. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Connaught Telegraph | Mayo Castlebar |
17 March 1828 | Founded by Frederick Cavendish, first as The Connaught Telegraph or Mayo Telegraph. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Argus | Louth Dundalk |
1830 (infobox) | Named after Argus Panoptes, the hundred-eyed giant. The year is from the Wikipedia infobox only. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Leinster Express | Laois Portlaoise |
1831 | First published in Maryborough (renamed Portlaoise in 1929), Queen’s County. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Sligo Champion | Sligo | 4 June 1836 | Bought by Independent News & Media in 2008. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Tuam Herald | Galway Tuam |
1837 | Founded by Richard Kelly. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Nenagh Guardian | Tipperary Nenagh |
1838 (infobox) | Takes in two older papers, the Tipperary Vindicator and the Nenagh News. Year from the infobox. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Coleraine Chronicle | Londonderry Coleraine |
1844 | Took in the Ballymoney Free Press in 1934. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Tyrone Constitution | Tyrone Omagh |
1844 | Wikipedia calls it the oldest newspaper in the county. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Anglo-Celt | Cavan | 1846 | Covers Cavan and Monaghan, more so since The Northern Standard closed in late 2025. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Westmeath Independent | Westmeath Athlone |
1846 | Sister paper of the Westmeath Examiner. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Waterford News & Star | Waterford | 1848 | First published as the Waterford Star. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Dundalk Democrat | Louth Dundalk |
20 October 1849 | Founded by Joseph Cartan as the Dundalk Democrat and People’s Journal. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Roscommon Herald | Roscommon Boyle |
30 April 1859 | No Wikipedia article. The earliest issue held by the Irish Newspaper Archives and Findmypast is dated 30 April 1859. Irish Newspaper Archives ↗ · Findmypast ↗ |
| The Munster Express | Waterford | 1860 | Covers Waterford and parts of Kilkenny and Tipperary. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Newry Reporter | Down Newry |
1867 | Founded by James Burns. Announced its closure in January 2023 but was bought and goes on under National World. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Leinster Leader | Kildare Naas |
August 1880 | Founded by Patrick Cahill. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Westmeath Examiner | Westmeath | 1882 | Owned by Celtic Media Group. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Nationalist (Carlow) | Carlow | 1883 | First published as The Nationalist and Leinster Times. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Western People | Mayo Ballina |
1883 | The Ballina Herald (1844–1962) merged with it in or around 1962. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Drogheda Independent | Louth Drogheda |
1884 (infobox) | Year from the infobox. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Leitrim Observer | Leitrim | 1889 | Founded by the Mulvey family; called the oldest newspaper in the county. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Limerick Leader | Limerick | 1889 | Bought the Limerick Chronicle (founded 1768) in the 1950s; since 2018 the Chronicle is a supplement inside the Leader. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Lurgan Mail | Armagh Lurgan |
1889 | Founded by Lewis Robert Richardson. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Southern Star | Cork Skibbereen |
1889 | Founded as the Cork County Southern Star. Bought out the Skibbereen Eagle in 1929. Published as Réalt a’ Deiscirt from 1918 to 1948. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Nationalist (Clonmel) | Tipperary Clonmel |
1890 | Shut down during the Civil War for supporting the Treaty. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Echo | Cork | 1892 | The Evening Echo until its renaming; a tabloid since 1991. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Mayo News | Mayo Westport |
1892 | Founded by William and Patrick J. Doris. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Kilkenny People | Kilkenny | 1893 (disputed) | Set up for supporters of Parnell. Wikipedia gives no year. The Irish Newspaper Archives says 1893; 1892 is also seen, but we found no source for it. Wikipedia ↗ · Irish Newspaper Archives ↗ |
| Offaly Independent | Offaly Tullamore |
1894 | First printed as the Tullamore & King’s Co. Independent; the Offaly-Westmeath Independent from 1968 to 1985. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Strabane Chronicle | Tyrone Strabane |
1896 | Started as the Strabane Chronicle and Tyrone and Donegal Advertiser. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Longford Leader | Longford | 1897 | Founded as The Longford Leader and Roscommon, Leitrim and Westmeath News. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Meath Chronicle | Meath Navan |
1897 (disputed) | Started in Kells by the Daly brothers. Wikipedia gives no year. The National Library catalogue and the paper itself give 1897; the Irish Newspaper Archives says 1887. Wikipedia ↗ · National Library of Ireland catalogue ↗ · Irish Newspaper Archives ↗ |
| Ulster Herald | Tyrone Omagh |
1901 | Published by the North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Donegal News | Donegal Letterkenny |
1902 or 1903 | Formerly the Derry People. Its article gives 1902 in one place and 1903 in another. Moved from Derry to Letterkenny at the start of the Second World War. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Fermanagh Herald | Fermanagh | 1902 | Established by the North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Clare Champion | Clare Ennis |
1903 | Founded after The Clare Man was forced to close; banned in February 1918. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Kerryman | Kerry Tralee |
1904 | Founded by Maurice Griffin and the cousins Thomas and Daniel Nolan. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Connacht Tribune | Galway | 1909 | Its archive runs from its “inception in 1909”. Sister titles: the Connacht Sentinel (1925–2014) and Galway City Tribune (1984). Wikipedia ↗ |
| Tipperary Star | Tipperary Thurles |
4 September 1909 | Owned by Iconic Newspapers. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Donegal Democrat | Donegal Ballyshannon |
16 June 1919 | Founded by John Downey. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Portadown Times | Armagh Portadown |
the 1920s | Wikipedia gives only the decade. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Donegal People’s Press | Donegal Lifford (first) |
April 1931 | First based in Lifford; now largely merged into the Donegal Democrat. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Corkman | Cork Mallow |
1950s; own title from April 1966 | Began in the 1950s as a Cork edition of The Kerryman. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Galway Advertiser | Galway | 16 April 1970 | Free weekly, founded by Ronnie O’Gorman. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Andersonstown News | Antrim Belfast |
1972 | West Belfast weekly; twice-weekly until 2011. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Kerry’s Eye | Kerry Tralee |
1974 | Founded by Pádraig and Joan Kennelly; sold to Webprint in April 2026. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Sligo Weekender | Sligo | 1983 | Founded by Brian McHugh as a freesheet. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Limerick Post | Limerick | 1986 | Free weekly. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Paper | County | Founded | Closed | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Claidheamh Soluis | Dublin | 1899 | historical | “The Sword of Light”, the Gaelic League’s paper. Eoin MacNeill was its first editor, 1899–1901. No longer published. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Inniu | Dublin | 17 March 1943 | 1984 | Merged with Amárach in August 1984 to form Anois. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Lá (later Lá Nua) | Antrim Belfast |
the 1980s | 2008 | The first daily newspaper in Ireland published in Irish. Last issue 19 December 2008. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Foinse | Galway | October 1996 | print ended 2013 | Weekly; online only from September 2013. Later replaced by Seachtain. Wikipedia ↗ |
| NÓS | Dublin | 17 March 2008 | still published | Culture and lifestyle title, launched online during Seachtain na Gaeilge; online only since 2015. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Tuairisc.ie | Galway Bearna |
9 October 2015 | still published | Online news service, funded through Foras na Gaeilge. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Paper | County | Founded | Closed | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman’s Journal | Dublin | 1763 | 1924 | Founded by Charles Lucas; merged with the Irish Independent in 1924. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Northern Whig | Antrim Belfast |
1824 | 1963 | Founded by Francis Dalzell Finlay. Wikipedia ↗ |
| Down Recorder | Down Downpatrick |
31 December 1836 | 2025 | First the Downpatrick Recorder; final edition 12 November 2025. Wikipedia ↗ |
| The Irish Press | Dublin | 5 September 1931 | 1995 | Its first issue came out on the eve of the 1931 All-Ireland hurling final. Wikipedia ↗ |
Wikipedia calls the Belfast News Letter, first printed in September 1737, the world’s oldest English-language general daily newspaper still in publication. The Derry Journal (1772) is called the second oldest still in existence in Ireland. The Limerick Leader article calls the Limerick Chronicle, founded in 1768, Ireland’s longest-running newspaper, but since 2018 it has been a supplement inside the Leader.
The present paper was launched on 29 March 1859. An earlier Irish Times ran from 1823 to 1825.
Its first issue was on 2 January 1905. The Freeman’s Journal, founded in 1763, merged into it in 1924.
Lá (later Lá Nua), from Belfast, was the first daily paper in Irish; it closed in December 2008. Today Tuairisc.ie (2015) and NÓS (2008) publish online.
The titles come from Wikipedia’s list of newspapers in Ireland, which gives no dates; each founding year comes from the paper’s own Wikipedia article, read in October 2026. Where only the article’s infobox gives a year we mark it. Three papers with no year on Wikipedia are dated from the Irish Newspaper Archives, Findmypast or the National Library catalogue. “Oldest” claims are as the sources word them. A founding year is often that of a paper’s earliest title, not its present name.
Still published but not dated here, because we found no source we can link: Wexford People (Wikipedia article has no year); Mid-Ulster Mail (no year in its article); The Northern Standard, Monaghan (no article of its own; the Anglo-Celt article says it closed in late 2025); Dungarvan Leader, The Avondhu, Midland Tribune, Tullamore Tribune (no Wikipedia article found). Many small free and community titles are left out for the same reason.