Ireland on Sunday
| Type | Sunday newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet then tabloid |
| Owner(s) | Associated Newspapers |
| Founded | 1997 (replaced The Title) |
| Political alignment |
Populist Irish nationalism |
| Ceased publication | 2006 (became Irish Mail on Sunday) |
Ireland on Sunday was a national Sunday newspaper published in Ireland from September 1997 until September 2006, when it was renamed the Irish Mail on Sunday. The newspaper was founded in 1996 as a sports-only newspaper called The Title, but was soon expanded into a general broadsheet Sunday newspaper with its founder, former County Meath Gaelic football player Liam Hayes, carrying on as editor. The paper was considered a 'middle-market' publication.
The Title was founded in 1996 by journalists Liam Hayes and Cathal Dervan. Hayes, a former captain of the Meath Gaelic football team who made five All-Ireland final appearances, had worked with Dervan at the Meath Chronicle before spending seven years at the Sunday Press, a national newspaper which folded in 1995. The Title focused exclusively on sports, covering events from local to international in scale. The newspaper attracted a niche audience, garnering a circulation of 29,000.
On 21 September 1997, the publication was relaunched as Ireland on Sunday, a three-section, full-colour broadsheet newspaper incorporating The Title as its tabloid-format sports section. The venture was backed by a consortium of Irish and Irish-American investors, headed by the property developer Paschal Taggart. The consortium invested a total of £4m, with £1.5m being spent on aggressive marketing in the first year. The paper sought to capture some of the former readers of the Sunday Press, which had a circulation of 150,000 before its demise. Hayes said before launch that Ireland on Sunday aimed to "reflect the thoughts, the values and the desires of a 32-county Ireland".
The newspaper met with success and the first issue's run of 120,000 sold out. Circulation settling at 66,863 by March 1998, well above its launch-day estimate of 40,000 within two years. However, financial difficulties forced Hayes to remortgage his house and ask the company's directors for €50,800 each to keep the title afloat. In July 2000, Ireland on Sunday was sold to Scottish Radio Holdings for approximately €10.16 million, with Hayes remaining in place as editor. However, in December of that year, he resigned from his post, to be replaced by former Evening Herald editor Paul Drury.
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