The Irish Post

History

The first print edition of The Irish Post was published on Friday, February 13, 1970. It was founded in February 1970 by journalist Breandán Mac Lua and Tony Beatty, a businessman from County Waterford in Ireland. Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH) acquired the paper in 2003.

It went through a brief period of uncertainty in August 2011 when TCH put the paper into voluntary liquidation, citing five years of financial losses as the reason. Following a period of more than six weeks off the shelves, during which staff and supporters of the title launched the 'Save the Irish Post' campaign, the title was bought by Cork-born, London-based businessman Elgin Loane as a going concern. Loane, a publisher who owns a number of titles in Great Britain and Ireland, including Loot and Buy&Sell, re-employed the majority of former staff of the paper at his Loot offices in Smithfield, London. The first edition of the re-launched title was published on 19 October 2011.

The Irish Post website was relaunched in early 2013 as a daily news site for the Irish in Britain. The Irish Post launched a business-focused glossy magazine series in 2013. It includes titles such as Building Britain, Companies100 and In Business.

On 2 February 2017, The Irish Post announced that it acquired the broadcaster Irish TV, only to be closed a month later.

Founder Breandán Mac Lua was the first editor; other editors of the paper have included Donal Mooney who joined as a journalist in 1973, Frank Murphy, Norah Casey, Martin Doyle, Mal Rogers, Siobhan Breatnach and Fiona Audley. Mal Rogers returned as editor in 2022.

''Irish Post'' Awards

The Irish Post hosts the annual Irish Post Awards in October each year, awarded to notable Irish individuals in Britain for successes in the fields of business, entertainment, sport, technology and design. Eamonn Holmes acts as the Master of Ceremonies for the event, held at the London Hilton on Park Lane. Award winners have included Michael Flatley, who accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers accepting the Legend Award in 2014. The Irish Post Awards in 2015 honoured Hollywood actress Fionnuala Flanagan, impresario Louis Walsh and footballer George Best.

The 2016 Irish Post Awards ceremony was held in the Great Room at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane, London. The keynote speaker was the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. There were over 1,000 guests in attendance to see Ireland Football Manager Martin O'Neill, EastEnders actor Shane Richie and Premier League winners' Leicester City CEO Susan Whelan.

In 2017, the Awards ceremony was televised live to Ireland on national broadcaster TG4 and Bob Geldof received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Johnny McDaid was honoured with an Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry Award, and Imelda May won the Artist of the Year Award.

The Irish Post Country Music Awards were broadcast live from the Millennium Forum in Derry on 11 September 2018.

References

References

1. Balasundaram, Nemesha. (21 December 2015). "'I wanted to return home for a calmer lifestyle' - Kerryman and former banker Pat Hegarty reflects on life in the fast lane in 1970s London". The Irish Post.
2. [http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0115/macluab.html "Irish Post's Breandán Mac Lua dies"], [[RTÉ News and Current Affairs. RTÉ News]], 15 January 2009.
3. [https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0930/1224305000570.html Several bids for 'Irish Post'] ''Irish Times'', 2011-09-30.
4. [https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0820/1224302759257.html "'Irish Post' emigrant newspaper shuts down"], ''The Irish Times'', 20 August 2011. "Its owner, Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH), announced the decision yesterday to close the publication because it had been loss-making for at least five years."
5. (6 September 2011). "Campaign launched to Save The Irish Post". [[National Union of Journalists]].
6. (30 September 2011). "Irish Post saved by British publisher". [[RTÉ News]].
7. O'Connell, Hugh. (19 October 2011). "Irish Post returns to newsstands in Britain". [[TheJournal.ie]].
8. (10 September 2019). "Digital strategy success as IrishPost.com attracts 200,000 visitors daily". The Irish Post.
9. "Building Britain". The Irish Post.
10. (23 July 2013). "Irish Post publishes A-Z of Irish owned companies in Britain". The Irish Post.
11. (6 November 2013). "Irish Post print edition - out now". The Irish Post.
12. Audley, Fiona. (2 February 2017). "The Irish Post acquires digital and intellectual property assets of diaspora broadcaster Irish TV". The Irish Post.
13. Farley, Adam. (2017). "Irish Post Expands with Acquisition of Irish TV Assets".
14. Slattery, Laura. (2 February 2017). "'Irish Post' buys Irish TV name and digital assets". [[The Irish Times]].
15. [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/believer-in-a-paper-that-put-the-community-first-1.1164358 Believer in a paper that put the community first - Donal Mooney Obituary], [[The Irish Times]] October 30, 2004.
16. [https://www.malrogersisoutofoffice.com/about About Mal Rogers]
17. [https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-editor-for-irish-post-newspaper-1.545670 New editor for 'Irish Post' newspaper] by Mark Hennessy, Irish Times, Thursday November 1, 2012.
18. (6 November 2013). "Michael Flatley and the Irish in Britain shine at Irish Post Business Gala Dinner & Awards". The Irish Post.
19. (24 October 2014). "Jonathan Rhys Meyers honoured with Irish Post Legend Award in London". The Irish Post.
20. (10 December 2015). "WATCH: Highlights from this year's 2015 Irish Post Awards". The Irish Post.
21. (26 November 2016). "Community Award winner Agnes Forde, 93, steals the show on a spectacular night at The Irish Post Awards 2016". The Irish Post.
22. (18 November 2017). "Bob Geldof & Karren Brady to receive Irish Post awards".
23. (23 November 2017). "Courtney Cox joins Johnny McDaid on red carpet of 'Irish Post' awards". [[Irish Independent]].
24. (25 November 2017). "Imelda May named artist of the year at Irish Post Awards". [[RTÉ News]].
25. "Irish Post Country Music Awards: Kings and queens of country honoured". Belfasttelegraph.
26. (17 August 2017). "Paul Coggins - Read his new GAA column only in The Irish Post". The Irish Post.