340 The Newspaper Press of Ireland. [Ocr. 



Sir Harcourt Loes, or Mr. CVConnell but the journal of the public. Its 

 distinguishing features are its moderation and its general decorum. 



In the years 1823-24-25, there were some literary and political articles 

 in the Freeman's Journal which were highly creditable to the character 

 of the Irish press; but, since the commencement of the present year 

 (1827), its " leaders" have been distinguished by the worst imitation of 

 the worst style of Grattan. The articles of which I speak have all the 

 involution of phrase whicb so felicitously distinguished that renowned man, 

 without any of the depth of thought or solidity of reasoning which he 

 uniformly disclosed. Besides, they appear written at random, and with- 

 out any apparent purpose. 



The next paper to which I shall draw the attention of the reader is the 

 Dublin Morning Register. This is the journal of Mr. O'Connell and 

 the Catholic Association. It has not been (I believe) more than three 

 years in existence ; yet has its progress to full maturity been completed 

 within so singularly short a period. Much of the success of the Register 

 is doubtless owing to the high excitation of political feeling, of the inten- 

 sity of which its conductors availed themselves ; but more of that success 

 may be attributed to its positive merits as the organ of a party. The 

 Register was certainly the first, and, for a time, the only paper which 

 made the attempt to introduce the English system of reporting into Ire- 

 land and, I must say, with complete success. In the year 1823, frequent 

 complaints were made by the public of the bald and meagre reports of 

 public meetings, and particularly of the meetings of the Catholic assem- 

 blies, which appeared in the Irish journals. Indeed there was one journal 

 (the Dublin Morning Post} which excluded all Catholic reports from 

 its columns. To meet this evil, as well as to arouse the country into a 

 participation and concert with the leaders of the Association in town, the 

 Morning Register was started ; and it has well and truly performed its 

 purpose. Its reports were not less ample than accurate ; and if its leading 

 articles were not always strictly in accordance with the most fastidious 

 taste, they were always pregnant with a large cargo of Irish indignation 

 and truly Popish feeling. True, the epithets of " Purple Goulbourn," 

 and " Orange ruffianism," and " Piirson Darby Graham," sound some- 

 what queer in this Christian country ; but in Ireland these things are no 

 way amiss ; and they had their effect for there was not a Catholic cler- 

 gyman, from Doctor Doyle down to Father O'Mulligane, the curate of 

 Shanagolden, who did not take in the paper. 



The next of the Irish morning papers to which I shall call the attention 

 of the reader, will be the Morning Post. This journal has been in 

 being about twelve or fourteen years, and was originated in consequence 

 of the cessation of what were tlien called the " day-notes." These day- 

 notes were nothing more nor less than fifty or sixty small slips of paper, on 

 which were printed all the mercantile advertisements for a week to come. 

 This is now the practice in Paris, the petites affiches of which city are 

 similar to what the Dublin " day-notes" were. It was discovered, how- 

 ever, at Dublin that the more convenient practice would be to print these 

 notes on one large sheet of paper ; and when this undertaking was achieved, 

 it was conceived that some portion of this sheet might be devoted to news. 

 Hence the origin of the Morning Post, which, though it has always borne 

 the character of a mercantile paper, and been patronized by the advertise- 

 ments of the commercial world, has nevertheless, on many occasions, 

 assumed a bold political tone ; and, indeed, the leadership of a particular, 

 though not very numerous party in Ireland I mean the Radicals. The 



