Ireland.com, the website which provides a range of online content including The Irish Times on the Web, will charge users for access to the site before the end of May. The website, which attracts 1.5 million regular users and is the second most popular Irish site behind Ryanair, will charge weekly, monthly and annual subscription fees for access to premium news services.

These will include The Irish Times, its breaking news service, a searchable archive and a range of microsites.

No final fee has been agreed but it is believed the weekly subscription charge will cost about €10 while annual subscriptions will cost less than €100. There will also be separate tariff options for corporate and business customers who wish to buy access to ireland.com for multiple users. But ireland.com will continue to provide some free content including material from the daily newspaper and its breaking news service. It will also offer some content from its microsites - property, jobs, Explore Ireland, Ancestors, Motors, Fantasy Football and special feature sites covering major events like the World Cup and the general election.

Ms Mary Mangan, chief operating officer of ireland.com, said the fees were being introduced as part of a growing trend among leading content websites. The New York Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Irish News already charge for access to premium content. Yesterday, the Times of London also said it would charge for content.