Donegal News
Friday edition
TypeTwice-weekly newspaper
FormatTabloid
Owner(s)North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company
EditorColumba Gill
Founded1903
Political alignmentNationalist
HeadquartersLetterkenny, County Donegal
CirculationMonday: 4,221*
Friday: 10,861*
ABC July to December 2012.
Websitewww.donegalnews.com

The Donegal News (also known as Derry People/Donegal News and formerly Derry People) is a twice-weekly local newspaper in the northwest of the island of Ireland, first published in 1902. Originally covering Derry, Northern Ireland, it moved across the border to Letterkenny, County Donegal, at the beginning of the Second World War and took on more of a Donegal focus. It is owned by the North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company, which was established in 1901 by the Lynch family, who also own several other papers in the region including the Ulster Herald, Fermanagh Herald, Strabane Chronicle, Tyrone Herald, and Gaelic Life.

Its main competitors are the Donegal Democrat and Derry Journal. The paper, despite a "rebranding" several years ago, continues to be known, for short, locally across the northern half of County Donegal as the Derry People. Its two editions had a circulation of 15,467 for the first half of 2010, with the Friday edition accounting for most of the figure.

History

The paper was first published in Derry in 1903, but at the start of the Second World War, the paper's owners decided to move production across the border to Letterkenny, County Donegal, in an aim to avoid possible harsh censorship laws, which saw the paper's rival, the Derry Journal, being banned for a short time on both sides of the border.[1] The paper has always had a nationalist editorial policy and so was able to attract readers from both County Donegal and the mostly nationalist city of Derry. The paper became the first to be based in Letterkenny and after the war had ended, it decided to keep production in the Republic and gradually began to focus more on northern Donegal rather than its original Derry base. Derry has always been an important centre of employment for the north of Donegal with many Donegal families also moving across the border, which led to papers such as the Derry Journal and the Derry People, building up a loyal readership in both jurisdictions. Throughout its history, the paper has remained under the control of the Lynch family, whose North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company is the largest newspaper group in Ireland still family controlled.

As of 2020, it had not missed publication since its foundation in 1903.[2]

Monday edition

The Monday edition was launched in November 2006 and is first paper in the County with all the weekend news and sport.

Layout

In 2002 the paper was renamed as the Donegal News, with the Derry People title kept in the masthead, and was part of a wider re-launch of the paper that saw an overhaul of its layout. However, despite the 'rebranding', the paper continues to be known locally, for short, as The Derry People.

On 18 October 2008 the Friday edition of the paper went tabloid. The change followed extensive surveys which returned a massive thumbs-up for a smaller paper. New farming, business and fashion columns were introduced. Also included are pull-outs devoted to local notes and entertainment. In keeping with the paper's proud and close association with Letterkenny, The Letterkenny Notes remained on page two of the newspaper. The sports section is now located at the back of the paper.[3]

Content

As part of the paper's re-start in 2002, a new layout was introduced which increased the number of pages of the publication, as well as the number of these in colour. The Donegal News mainly reports on local events and local sport, as well as devoting space to "local notes", where unpaid correspondents submit reports on births, deaths and marriages in their particular town.

In the Friday edition, a number of regular features are also carried, such as "Friday Talk" and "The Last Corncrake", as well as a column in the Irish language, "Scéal Eile". The Friday edition also carries a weekly lifestyle supplement called "DN", with regular columns relating to television, cinema, travel, health and local entertainment.

The Monday edition of the newspaper features a comic strip, Donegal Danny, by Johnny Schumann and Sean Feeny while "People Like You" features an interview with a local celebrity.

Both editions of the paper are made available on-line as paid-for 'e-books', while the "DN" supplement is made available free of charge.

Circulation

According to ABC, the average circulation of Donegal News Monday was 4,221 for the period July 2012 to December 2012, this represented an increase of 4% on a year-on-year basis. The average circulation of Donegal News Friday was 10.861 for the period July 2012 to December 2012, this represented a decrease of 3% on a year-on-year basis.[4]

Sports Personality of the Month

The Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month is a monthly prize presented by the Donegal News to a person who has excelled in the performance of their chosen sport.

It is run in conjunction with Brian McCormick Sports.[5]

Sports represented include Gaelic football, boxing, athletics, association football, rugby union, motorcycling, motorsport, and hockey.

Olympic athletes honoured include Brendan Boyce, Mark English and Caitriona Jennings.

Gaelic footballers honoured include the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship-winning players Neil Gallagher, Rory Kavanagh, Karl Lacey, Patrick McBrearty, Frank McGlynn, as well as team captain Michael Murphy and manager Jim McGuinness.

2021

Multiple winners

References

  1. ^ Essay on the banning of the Derry Journal by Freya McClements Archived 6 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Gill, Columba (2 April 2020). "Letter from the Editor: 'There is hope and inspiration and that is what we want to focus on most'". p. 2. Since it was first published in 1903, the Derry People and Donegal News has never missed an edition. We may have been disrupted by two world wars and faced many other challenges but we always got our newspaper out. Quote from editorial printed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. ^ Donegal News revamp Archived 26 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Regional Newspapers ABC Circulation July-Dec 2012 - SEO Ireland, Search Engine Optimisation, Media and Marketing". Archived from the original on 1 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b Ferry, Ryan (14 March 2014). "Aaron McGlynn is the February 2014 Donegal News Sports Personality". Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  6. ^ Walsh, Harry (8 February 2012). "Paddy Peoples – January 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality winner". Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  7. ^ Walsh, Harry (8 March 2012). "Danny Mooney – February 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality winner". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  8. ^ O'Donnell, Aidan (18 April 2012). "Michael Gallagher – March 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality winner". Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  9. ^ Walsh, Harry (10 May 2012). "Caitriona Jennings – April 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 10 May 2012.
  10. ^ O'Donnell, Aidan (26 July 2012). "Mark English – May 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  11. ^ McNulty, Chris (26 July 2012). "Frank McGlynn – June 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  12. ^ McNulty, Chris (3 August 2012). "Jim McGuinness – July 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  13. ^ McNulty, Chris (10 September 2012). "Neil Gallagher – August 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality winner". Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  14. ^ McNulty, Chris (9 October 2012). "Michael Murphy – September 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  15. ^ McNulty, Chris (9 November 2012). "Brett McGinty – October 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month Award Winner". Retrieved 9 November 2012.
  16. ^ McNulty, Chris (1 January 2013). "Jason Quigley – December 2012 Donegal News Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  17. ^ McNulty, Chris (17 June 2013). "Patrick McBrearty – May 2013 Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  18. ^ McNulty, Chris (23 July 2013). "Jason Quigley – June 2013 Sports Personality Winner". Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  19. ^ McNulty, Chris (30 August 2013). "Mark English – July 2013 Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  20. ^ McNulty, Chris (9 September 2013). "Brendan Boyce – August 2013 Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  21. ^ McNulty, Chris (29 November 2013). "Rory Kavanagh – October 2013 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  22. ^ McNulty, Chris (29 November 2013). "Gary McDaid – November 2013 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  23. ^ "Apr 2014 Winner – Eamonn Sheridan". 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  24. ^ "May 2014 Winner – Karl Lacey". 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  25. ^ McNulty, Chris (30 June 2014). "Declan Boyle – June 2014 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  26. ^ McNulty, Chris (15 August 2014). "Ryan McHugh – July 2014 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  27. ^ "August 2014 Winner – Mark English". 21 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  28. ^ McNulty, Chris (9 December 2014). "Geraldine McLaughlin – November 2014 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month". Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  29. ^ McNulty, Chris (20 January 2015). "December 2014 Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month – Ann Marie McGlynn". Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  30. ^ Walsh, Harry (4 September 2015). "Yvonne McMonagle wins Donegal News monthly award". Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  31. ^ "Niall picks up Sports Personality Award for December". 8 February 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  32. ^ Ferry, Ryan (1 April 2016). "February – Darren dreams about leading Rovers to Aviva". Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  33. ^ Ferry, Ryan (28 April 2016). "March – Rhys laps up the plaudits". Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  34. ^ Ferry, Ryan (3 June 2016). "April – Denise saves the best for the shoot-outs!". Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  35. ^ Ferry, Ryan (1 July 2016). "May – It's all about the team for Karen Guthrie". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  36. ^ Ferry, Ryan (22 July 2016). "June – Manus steers his way to success". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  37. ^ Ferry, Ryan (19 August 2016). "July – Donegal Minor Super Sweeper Peadar Mogan". Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  38. ^ Ferry, Ryan (28 October 2016). "July – Aidan Callaghan's month to remember". Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  39. ^ Ferry, Ryan (24 December 2016). "Early mornings prove worthwhile for Grainne". Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  40. ^ Walsh, Harry (7 March 2017). "World-class Paddy Bond adds to his medal collection". Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  41. ^ Walsh, Harry (5 May 2017). "Letterkenny barber is preparing to go Coast to Coast". Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  42. ^ Ferry, Ryan (4 June 2017). "Hard work and commitment pays off for Conor". Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  43. ^ "Another great June for Manus Kelly". 29 July 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  44. ^ Walsh, Harry (3 November 2017). "September Sports Personality: Historic times for Tyler". Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  45. ^ Ferry, Ryan (3 December 2017). "An October to remember for Hegarty and Kilcar". Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  46. ^ Walsh, Harry (2 March 2018). "Catherine creates lifelong friendships through sport". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  47. ^ Walsh, Harry (9 November 2018). "Double joy for Ellison and Finn Harps U17 squad". Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  48. ^ Craig, Frank (5 May 2019). "Medal hero Quinlivan is Sports Personality of Month". Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  49. ^ Donegal News
  50. ^ Ferry, Ryan (19 January 2020). "November brings National glory for McCole". Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  51. ^ Craig, Frank (31 January 2020). "Termon teen starlet Grant Sports Personality of Month". Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  52. ^ "JANUARY SPORTS PERSONALITY:KILLIAN GRIBBEN - BASKETBALL".
  53. ^ Craig, Frank (14 April 2020). "McGeehin was number one in February". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  54. ^ Ferry, Ryan (7 May 2020). "Coulter is March Sports Personality of the Month". Donegal News. p. 54. Original print title was "Coulter collects league title in Carrickmore".
  55. ^ "Cowan cherishes Irish Cup triumph". Donegal News. 11 October 2020.
  56. ^ "O'Donnell hammers his way to National title". Donegal News. 8 November 2020.
  57. ^ "September brings St Leger joy for Orr". Donegal News. 29 November 2020.
  58. ^ Craig, Frank (17 December 2020). "McGinley rewarded for Harps heroics". Donegal News. p. 61.
  59. ^ Craig, Frank (14 January 2021). "Joe Boyle is November Personality of the Month". Donegal News. p. 54.
  60. ^ Ferry, Ryan (11 February 2021). "December glory for Donegal and Gallanagh". Donegal News. p. 57.
  61. ^ Ferry, Ryan (26 August 2021). "Gallen shines in July". Donegal News. p. 54.
  62. ^ Ferry, Ryan (23 September 2021). "Boyce 'content' with Olympic performance". Donegal News. p. 50.
  63. ^ Ferry, Ryan (4 November 2021). "Melly reigns supreme in the Kingdom". Donegal News. p. 64.
  64. ^ Craig, Frank (16 December 2021). "Browne-McMonagle 'excited' about 2022 potential". Donegal News. p. 58.
  65. ^ Ferry, Ryan (13 January 2022). "Tobin achieves 'massive dream'". Donegal News. p. 55.
  66. ^ Craig, Frank (17 February 2022). "Grant into the groove in Glasgow". Donegal News. p. 62.
  67. ^ Ferry, Ryan (5 May 2022). "Ní Chuinneagáin signs off in style". Donegal News. p. 54.
  68. ^ Ferry, Ryan (9 June 2022). "February to remember for Griffin". Donegal News. p. 56.
  69. ^ Ferry, Ryan (14 July 2022). "Doherty overcomes injury to land three National titles". Donegal News. p. 54.
  70. ^ Ferry, Ryan (11 August 2022). "Scott reflects on Gordon West Cup triumph". Donegal News. p. 62.
  71. ^ Ferry, Ryan (15 September 2022). "Parke plays his part in Bonagee's success". Donegal News. p. 54.
  72. ^ "Witherow living his international dream". 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022. Witherow is clearly a driven man and his passion for hockey burns brightly. This week he was awarded the Donegal News Sports Star of the Month award for June…
  73. ^ Ferry, Ryan (8 November 2022). "Kelly making the most of his Shot". Retrieved 8 November 2022. The St Johnston man is currently based in Sweden but he was home this week and collected the Donegal News Sports Star of the Month for July…
  74. ^ "Browne McMonagle continues to excel". 20 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022. The 19-year-old has come on a long way since his pony racing days, and he's one of the hottest young stars in the horse-racing industry in this country at present. Browne McMonagle was this week honoured with the Donegal News Sports Star of the Month award for September…
  75. ^ "Gallen hopes injury problems are behind him". Donegal News. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023. But the 0–18 over three games earned him the Donegal News Sports Personality of the Month for June…

External links

Letterkenny
Media in County Donegal
Newspapers Owned by North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company
Newspapers in the Republic of Ireland
Newspapers of Ireland founded in the period before the establishment of Northern Ireland in 1921 and the Republic of Ireland in 1937
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