Page "Daily Ireland" Paragraph 8

On 7 September 2006, Daily Ireland managing director Mairtin Ó Muilleoir announced that the paper would cease publishing, with the last issue published on 7 September 2006.

According to Ó Muilleoir, " the British government's refusal to allow Daily Ireland to tender for advertisements was a major factor in its collapse ".

With its sister publications, in Belfast, Daily Ireland offered government departments a circulation of almost 50, 000 copies.

However, while government refused to advertise in Daily Ireland, it continued to advertise in the unionist News Letter which sells less than 25, 000 copies daily.

A government tender, sparked by the revelation by Daily Ireland that government ads had been given to three dailies without any tender process, was completed in November 2006 and saw the News Letter lose all government advertising.

In the same tender, the Irish News lost all public notice government ads.

Both papers have joined in a court action to have this decision put on ice while they mount a legal challenge and seek political support.

Ironically, one of their arguments for continued support for the News Letter is that a strong unionist voice should continue to exist.