The daily newspaper market will get a new addition tomorrow when a Dublin-only title takes its place on the shelves, writes Frank McNally
The Dublin Daily is a mid-market tabloid from the same team that founded The Title and Ireland on Sunday, and aims to achieve a circulation of 45,000 within three years.
Although aimed at a city readership, it will be distributed throughout the capital's commuter belt, from Dundalk to Arklow, and as far west as Portlaoise.
The Dublin Daily is edited by the former Meath Gaelic footballer Liam Hayes, who also edited The Title and Ireland on Sunday. Former IOS journalist Mr Ken Whelan will be news editor, and journalists also include Dr Robin O'Reilly, wife of Mr Tony O'Reilly junior. She will be the social columnist.
The paper has negotiated a deal for coverage of the Dublin Gaelic football team, which will include the services of the manager, Tommy Lyons, and several players including Ciaran Whelan and Ray Cosgrove.
Rejecting suggestions that the paper would be an Irish version of the Daily Mail, deputy editor Douglas Dalby said it would be more like the Boston Herald and a number of Scandinavian and Spanish "metro-type" publications.
It would be "tabloid in shape, but broadsheet in tone", he added, and would target the 20-35 age group, and women in particular.
Mr Dalby said the project had been 18 months in the planning and would be "very well funded", in contrast to previous failed attempts to establish daily titles.
The Dublin Daily's main share-holder is Archant, the Norwich-based company which is Britain's biggest regional newspaper publisher.
Shareholders include the entrepreneur Mr Pascal Taggart and the Connacht Tribune, but more than 30 per cent of the company will be owned by management and staff.
The newspaper will be printed by the Meath Chronicle and will sell initially for €1, rising to €1.20 after an introductory period.
Mr Dalby said it aimed to take readers from all the existing papers, especially the tabloids, but predicted it would also create a new readership.
The paper's first print-run tomorrow will be 70,000.