Daily Express (Dublin)
Encyclopedia
The Daily Express of Dublin (often referred to as the Dublin Daily Express, to distinguish it from the Daily Express
of London) was an Irish
newspaper published from 1851 until June 1921, and then continued for registration purposes until 1960.
It was a unionist
newspaper. From 1917, its title was the Daily Express and Irish Daily Mail. In its heyday, it had the highest circulation of any paper in Ireland.
In 1858, Karl Marx
, writing in the New York Tribune
, called the paper "the Government organ":
The paper's first editor, James Godkin
, although brought up as a Roman Catholic, had served as a Congregational
minister in Armagh
and as a general missionary
for the Irish Evangelical Society. He was the author of A Guide from the Church of Rome to the Church of Christ (1836) and in 1838 had founded the Christian Patriot newspaper in Belfast
. He was also the author of a prize-winning essay called The Rights of Ireland (1845).
In December 1858, Lola Montez
, visiting Dublin, wrote an angry but inaccurate letter to the editor of the Daily Express dealing with events which had taken place almost fifteen years earlier. She insisted that, when Dujarier died, she was living in the house of a Dr and Mrs Azan, and that "the good Queen of Bavaria
wept bitterly when she left Munich
." The newspaper's editor responded in kind, declaring "It is now well established that Lola Montez was born in 1824, her
father being the son of a baronet."
In November 1881, Charles Boycott
faced severe difficulties from the Irish Land League on the estate of John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
, and men of the Orange Order mounted the Lough Mask House Relief Expedition. The Daily Express donated food and supplies. At the time it was owned by Lord Ardilaun
.
Standish James O'Grady
(1846–1928), a figure in the Irish Literary Revival
and author of a History of Ireland, worked on the Daily Express as a journalist until 1898.
The radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi
reported for the newspaper on the Kingstown
Regatta
of July, 1898, and he did so by sending wireless
messages from a steam tug which were then telephoned to Dublin. This has been claimed as the first live transmission of a sporting event anywhere in the world.
In 1899, the paper was the forum for the 'Atkinson controversy' about the evidence of Robert Atkinson to the Intermediate Education (Ireland) Commission, and in a letter to the paper published on 15 February 1899, Douglas Hyde
, a future President of Ireland, referred to "that Stygian flood of black ignorance of everything Irish which, Lethe
-like, rolls through the portals of my beloved Alma Mater
."
In 1902 and 1903, James Joyce
wrote many reviews for the newspaper, and its pro-British reputation is mentioned in his The Dead
. One of Joyce's reviews troubled the Daily Express's editor, Ernest Longworth, so much that he broke with tradition and added Joyce's initials to it. Published on 26 March 1903, this was a hostile review of Lady Gregory
's Poets and Dreamers.
During the Easter Rising
of 1916, rebels entered the grounds of Dublin Castle
and took possession of the offices of the Dublin Daily Express, from the roof of which they could command the approaches to the Castle from Dame Street
, Castle Street, and Cork Hill to the Upper Castle Yard. British troops regained possession later the same day.
Archived copies of the newspaper are available on microfilm in the National Library of Ireland
.
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
of London) was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
newspaper published from 1851 until June 1921, and then continued for registration purposes until 1960.
It was a unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
newspaper. From 1917, its title was the Daily Express and Irish Daily Mail. In its heyday, it had the highest circulation of any paper in Ireland.
History
In his Post Famine Ireland (2006), Desmond Keenan says of the newspaper:In 1858, Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, writing in the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
, called the paper "the Government organ":
The paper's first editor, James Godkin
James Godkin
James Godkin was an Irish author and journalist who was influential on ecclesiastical and land questions.-Early life and family:Godkin was born at Gorey in County Wexford, into a Roman Catholic farming family...
, although brought up as a Roman Catholic, had served as a Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister in Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
and as a general missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
for the Irish Evangelical Society. He was the author of A Guide from the Church of Rome to the Church of Christ (1836) and in 1838 had founded the Christian Patriot newspaper in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. He was also the author of a prize-winning essay called The Rights of Ireland (1845).
In December 1858, Lola Montez
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld , better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a "Spanish dancer", courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Countess of Landsfeld. She used her influence to institute liberal...
, visiting Dublin, wrote an angry but inaccurate letter to the editor of the Daily Express dealing with events which had taken place almost fifteen years earlier. She insisted that, when Dujarier died, she was living in the house of a Dr and Mrs Azan, and that "the good Queen of Bavaria
Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen
Therese Charlotte Luise of Saxony-Hildburghausen was a queen of Bavaria.She was a daughter of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg, and Duchess Charlotte Georgine of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, eldest daughter of Charles II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Biography:In 1809, she was on the list of...
wept bitterly when she left Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
." The newspaper's editor responded in kind, declaring "It is now well established that Lola Montez was born in 1824, her
father being the son of a baronet."
In November 1881, Charles Boycott
Charles Boycott
Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott was a British land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland as part of a campaign for agrarian tenants' rights in 1880 gave the English language the verb to boycott, meaning "to ostracise"...
faced severe difficulties from the Irish Land League on the estate of John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne
John Crichton, 3rd Earl Erne KP was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.Erne succeeded his uncle as third Earl Erne in 1842. In 1845 he was elected an Irish Representative Peer in the House of Lords, which he remained until his death. He also served as Lord Lieutenant of County Fermanagh from 1845...
, and men of the Orange Order mounted the Lough Mask House Relief Expedition. The Daily Express donated food and supplies. At the time it was owned by Lord Ardilaun
Arthur Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun
Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun, 2nd Baronet , known as Sir Arthur Guinness, Bt, between 1868 and 1880, was an Irish businessman, politician, and philanthropist, best known for giving St Stephen's Green to the people of Dublin.-Background and education:Guinness was born at St Anne's,...
.
Standish James O'Grady
Standish James O'Grady
Standish James O'Grady was an Irish author, journalist, and historian. His father was the Reverend Thomas O'Grady, the scholarly Church of Ireland minister of Castletown Berehaven, County Cork, and his mother Susanna Doe...
(1846–1928), a figure in the Irish Literary Revival
Irish Literary Revival
The Irish Literary Revival was a flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century.-Forerunners:...
and author of a History of Ireland, worked on the Daily Express as a journalist until 1898.
The radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
reported for the newspaper on the Kingstown
Dún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
Regatta
Regatta
A regatta is a series of boat races. The term typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas...
of July, 1898, and he did so by sending wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
messages from a steam tug which were then telephoned to Dublin. This has been claimed as the first live transmission of a sporting event anywhere in the world.
In 1899, the paper was the forum for the 'Atkinson controversy' about the evidence of Robert Atkinson to the Intermediate Education (Ireland) Commission, and in a letter to the paper published on 15 February 1899, Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde , known as An Craoibhín Aoibhinn , was an Irish scholar of the Irish language who served as the first President of Ireland from 1938 to 1945...
, a future President of Ireland, referred to "that Stygian flood of black ignorance of everything Irish which, Lethe
Lethe
In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers of Hades. Also known as the Ameles potamos , the Lethe flowed around the cave of Hypnos and through the Underworld, where all those who drank from it experienced complete forgetfulness...
-like, rolls through the portals of my beloved Alma Mater
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
."
In 1902 and 1903, James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
wrote many reviews for the newspaper, and its pro-British reputation is mentioned in his The Dead
The Dead (short story)
"The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. At 15,672 words it has also been considered a novella....
. One of Joyce's reviews troubled the Daily Express's editor, Ernest Longworth, so much that he broke with tradition and added Joyce's initials to it. Published on 26 March 1903, this was a hostile review of Lady Gregory
Augusta, Lady Gregory
Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory , born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of...
's Poets and Dreamers.
During the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of 1916, rebels entered the grounds of Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
and took possession of the offices of the Dublin Daily Express, from the roof of which they could command the approaches to the Castle from Dame Street
Dame Street
Dame Street is a large thoroughfare in Dublin, Ireland. The street is the location of many banks such as AIB, Ulster Bank and the Central Bank of Ireland. It is close to Ireland's oldest university, Trinity College, Dublin, founded in 1592, the entrance to which is a popular meeting spot.During...
, Castle Street, and Cork Hill to the Upper Castle Yard. British troops regained possession later the same day.
Archived copies of the newspaper are available on microfilm in the National Library of Ireland
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland is Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism is the member of the Irish Government responsible for the library....
.
Editors
- James GodkinJames GodkinJames Godkin was an Irish author and journalist who was influential on ecclesiastical and land questions.-Early life and family:Godkin was born at Gorey in County Wexford, into a Roman Catholic farming family...
(from 1851) - George Linnaeus BanksGeorge Linnaeus BanksGeorge Linnaeus Banks , husband of author Isabella Banks, was a British journalist, editor, poet, playwright, amateur actor, orator, and Methodist....
(1850s) - Dr G. V. Patton (until his death on 25 March 1898)
- John Edward Healey (to 1907, when he became editor of The Irish Times)
- Ernest Victor Longworth (lived from 1874–1935; years of editorship unknown)
- James Young McPeake (d. 21 September 1924)
- Henry Stuart Doig (born 27 April 1874, died 3 April 1931), editor at the time of the Easter Rising