Ireland's latest newspaper, Ireland on Sunday, got off to a bright start with nearly every copy sold. Its print run yesterday was for 120,000 copies.
The editor, Mr Liam Hayes, said there was room for improvement, but during the next three months there would be changes to the basic package as the journalists sought to bring new ideas into the pages.
He believed that yesterday's page one had several strong stories and offered readers something different.
Despite the high sales yesterday, Mr Hayes said he believed that the new-style layout would "take some getting used to." It would be a few months before Ireland On Sunday settled down. The newspaper is looking for sales of about 50,000 a week.
It went on sale yesterday morning without any apparent problems, unlike the last new newspaper to appear, the Evening News, which was also printed by the Midland Tribune in Offaly. It was dogged with problems in getting to newsagents in time.
Mr Steve Shanahan, media buyer with advertising agency QMP, said he was impressed. A month ago he had seen a dummy copy and did not believe it could be produced to the same standard under ordinary production conditions, but it had.
He had been worried that the Title sports section would be lost inside as a tabloid supplement in a broadsheet, but it had worked well.
He predicted it would have a long life. "It has found a gap in the market. There are a lot of disenfranchised former Sunday Press readers out there." It was aiming at middle Ireland, the 30 to 50 age group, he said.
He was surprised at the number of advertisements and how many agencies had "taken a risk so early on. I wish I had taken more," he said.
Ireland on Sunday is backed by a consortium of Irish and Irish-American investors, headed by Mr Paschal Taggart. It is produced by a staff of 35 and has a total investment of £4 million.
While it is entering a crowded and highly-competitive market, media analysts have maintained that the demise of the Sunday Press, with a circulation of over 150,000, left a nationalist and conservative gap in the middle of the market. Ireland on Sunday has made no secret of its focus on Sunday Independent readers.
The new paper has three sections - news, lifestyles and the Title, which was a separate sports newspaper until last week.
Among the columnists are the publisher of the Irish Voice in America, Mr Niall O'Dowd; the Bishop of Ferns, Dr Brendan Comiskey; and the former editor of the Irish Press and historian, Mr Tim Pat Coogan.