The ''Donegal News'' (also known as ''Derry People/Donegal News'' and formerly ''Derry People'') is a twice-weekly local newspaper in the northwest of the island of Ireland, first published in 1902. Originally covering

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, it moved across the border to

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, at the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and took on more of a Donegal focus. It is owned by the

North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company The North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company (NWIPP) is a family-owned newspaper group based in the Irish province of Ulster, both in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The company was established in 1901 by the Lynch fam ...

, which was established in 1901 by the Lynch family, who also own several other papers in the region including the '' Ulster Herald'', ''

Fermanagh Herald The ''Fermanagh Herald'' is a weekly newspaper published and sold mainly in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situat ...

'', '' Strabane Chronicle'', '' Tyrone Herald'', and ''

Gaelic Life ''Gaelic Life'' is a Gaelic games newspaper. It has been published since 2007. A weekly publication, it appears on a Thursday. Though it offers coverage primarily of Gaelic games in the province of Ulster, it circulates through the other three ...

''. Its main competitors are the '' Donegal Democrat'' and ''

Derry Journal The ''Derry Journal'' is a newspaper based in Derry, Northern Ireland, serving Derry as well as County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. It is operated by a Johnston Press holding company entitled Derry Journal Newspapers. The paper is publ ...

''. The paper, despite a "rebranding" several years ago, continues to be known, for short, locally across the northern half of County Donegal as the ''Derry People''. Its two editions had a circulation of 15,467 for the first half of 2010, with the Friday edition accounting for most of the figure.

History

The paper was first published in

in 1903, but at the start of the Second World War, the paper's owners decided to move production across the border to

, County Donegal, in an aim to avoid possible harsh censorship laws, which saw the paper's rival, the ''Derry Journal'', being banned for a short time on both sides of the border. The paper has always had a nationalist editorial policy and so was able to attract readers from both County Donegal and the mostly nationalist city of Derry. The paper became the first to be based in Letterkenny and after the war had ended, it decided to keep production in the Republic and gradually began to focus more on northern Donegal rather than its original Derry base. Derry has always been an important centre of employment for the north of Donegal with many Donegal families also moving across the border, which led to papers such as the ''Derry Journal'' and the ''Derry People'', building up a loyal readership in both jurisdictions. Throughout its history, the paper has remained under the control of the Lynch family, whose North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing Company is the largest newspaper group in Ireland still family controlled. As of 2020, it had not missed publication since its foundation in 1903.

Monday edition

The Monday edition was launched in November 2006 and is first paper in the County with all the weekend news and sport.

Layout

In 2002 the paper was renamed as the ''Donegal News'', with the ''Derry People'' title kept in the masthead, and was part of a wider re-launch of the paper that saw an overhaul of its layout. However, despite the 'rebranding', the paper continues to be known locally, for short, as ''The Derry People''. On 18 October 2008 the Friday edition of the paper went tabloid. The change followed extensive surveys which returned a massive thumbs-up for a smaller paper. New farming, business and fashion columns were introduced. Also included are pull-outs devoted to local notes and entertainment. In keeping with the paper's proud and close association with Letterkenny, The Letterkenny Notes remained on page two of the newspaper. The sports section is now located at the back of the paper.

Content

As part of the paper's re-start in 2002, a new layout was introduced which increased the number of pages of the publication, as well as the number of these in colour. The ''Donegal News'' mainly reports on local events and local sport, as well as devoting space to ''"local notes"'', where unpaid correspondents submit reports on births, deaths and marriages in their particular town. In the Friday edition, a number of regular features are also carried, such as "Friday Talk" and "The Last Corncrake", as well as a column in the Irish language, "Scéal Eile". The Friday edition also carries a weekly lifestyle supplement called "DN", with regular columns relating to television, cinema, travel, health and local entertainment. The Monday edition of the newspaper features a comic strip, ''Donegal Danny'', by Johnny Schumann and Sean Feeny while "People Like You" features an interview with a local celebrity. Both editions of the paper are made available on-line as paid-for 'e-books', while the "DN" supplement is made available free of charge.

Circulation

According to ABC, the average circulation of ''Donegal News'' Monday was 4,221 for the period July 2012 to December 2012, this represented an increase of 4% on a year-on-year basis. The average circulation of ''Donegal News'' Friday was 10.861 for the period July 2012 to December 2012, this represented a decrease of 3% on a year-on-year basis.

Sports Personality of the Month

The ''Donegal News'' Sports Personality of the Month is a monthly prize presented by the ''Donegal News'' to a person who has excelled in the performance of their chosen sport. It is run in conjunction with Brian McCormick Sports. Sports represented include

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

motorcycling Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous co ...

motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

, and

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. Olympic athletes honoured include

Brendan Boyce Brendan Boyce (born 15 October 1986) is an Irish race walker. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 50k walk, coming 29th, and the 2013 World Championships in Athletics where he came 25th. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in t ...

, Mark English and

Caitriona Jennings Caitriona Jennings (born 17 June 1980; from Letterkenny, County Donegal) is an Irish long distance runner who competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Early life Jennings attended Loreto Convent Secon ...

. Gaelic footballers honoured include the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

-winning players Neil Gallagher,

Rory Kavanagh Rory Kavanagh ( ga, Ruairí Ó Caomhánach; born 23 August 1982) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player with St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. He currently manages the St Eunan's club. Alongside Colm McFadden and Christy ...

Karl Lacey Karl Lacey (born 10 September 1984) is an Irish Gaelic football coach who plays for Four Masters and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. His county's most decorated individual, his personal achievements include four All Star awards� ...

Patrick McBrearty Patrick McBrearty (born 5 August 1993) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is usually selected in the full-forward line for his county, often flanking Michael Murphy with Colm McFadden (be ...

, Frank McGlynn, as well as team captain

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer ...

and manager

Jim McGuinness Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is an association football coach and former Gaelic footballer, coach and manager, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as both player and manager with the Donegal county team. Having gu ...

2012

* January: Paddy Peoples (association football centre back) * February: Danny Mooney (athletics) * March: Michael Gallagher (boxing) * April:

(athletics) * May: Mark English (athletics) * June: Frank McGlynn (Gaelic football) * July:

(Gaelic football

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

) * August: Neil Gallagher (Gaelic football midfielder) * September:

(Gaelic football

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) * October:

Brett McGinty Brett derives from a Middle English surname meaning "Briton" or "Breton", referring to the Celtic people of Britain and Brittany, France. Brette can be a feminine name. People with the surname * Adrian Brett (born 1945) English flutist and writer ...

(boxing) * November: ? * December:

Jason Quigley Jason Quigley is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 48 career games in the AFL.

(boxing)

2013

* January: ? * February: ? * March: ? * April: ? * May:

(Gaelic football forward) * June:

Jason Quigley Jason Quigley is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 48 career games in the AFL.

(boxing) * July: Mark English (athletics) * August:

(race walking) * September: ? * October:

(Gaelic football) * November:

Gary McDaid Gary McDaid is a Gaelic football manager, referee and former player. He has three DSFCs: twice as manager (2011, 2013) and once as coach to Michael Canning (2016). Club While overseeing Glenswilly, he has led that team to two Donegal Senior F ...

(Gaelic football) * December: ? Caitriona Jennings

2014

* January: ? * February: Aaron McGlynn (athletics) * March: ? * April: Eamonn Sheridan (association football) * May:

(Gaelic football) * June: Declan Boyle (rallying) * July:

Ryan McHugh Ryan McHugh (born 11 April 1994) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is the brother of Mark and the son of Martin. A former county minor, McHugh propelled himself onto the national stage ...

(Gaelic football) * August: Mark English (athletics) * September: ? * October: ? * November: Geraldine McLaughlin (Gaelic football) * December: Ann Marie McGlynn (athletics)

2015

* January: ? * February: ? * March: ? * April: ? * May: ? * June: ? * July: Yvonne McMonagle (Gaelic football) * August: ? * September: ? * October: ? * November: ? * December:

Niall O'Donnell Niall O'Donnell (born 1998) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. The ''Irish Independents Colm Keys named O'Donnell among his "18 for 08: The brightest young talents" in Gaelic football, descri ...

(Gaelic football)

2016

* January: ? * February: Darren McElwaine (association football) * March: Rhys Irwin (racing) * April: Denise McElhinney (hockey) * May: Karen Guthrie (Gaelic football) * June:

Manus Kelly Manus "Mandy" Kelly (9 February 1978 – 23 June 2019) was an Irish rally driver, businessman, and local politician. As a rally driver, he participated in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and won the Donegal International Rally on three cons ...

(rallying) * July: Peadar Mogan (Gaelic football) * August: ? * September: Aidan Callaghan (triathlon) * October: ? * November: Grainne Russell (swimming) * December: ? 10019 Mark English

2017

* January: Paddy Bond (swimming) * February: ? * March: Marty Lynch * April: Conor McMenamin (rugby union) * May: ? * June:

(rallying) * July: ? * August: ? * September:

Tyler Toland Tyler Toland (born 8 August 2001) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for English Women's Super League club Blackburn Rovers. She previously played for Liga F club Levante UD, Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) clu ...

(association football) * October:

Michael Hegarty Michael Hegarty is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He made 50 championship appearances, a team record when set in 2011 and not exceeded until Colm McFadden made his 51st championshi ...

(Gaelic football) * November: ? * December: ?

2018

* January: Catherine Grier (association football) * February: ? * March: ? * April: ? * May: ? * June: ? * July: ? * August: * September: Daragh Ellison (association football

) * October: ? * November: ? * December: ?

2019

* January: ? * February: ? * March: Patrick Quinlivan (gymnastics) * April: ? * May: ? * June: ? * July: ? * August: ? * September: ? * October: Ethan O'Donnell (Gaelic football) * November: Matthew McCole (boxing) * December: Jamie Grant (Gaelic football) Boyce_Ojala_Kucmin

2020

* January: Killian Gribben (basketball) * February: Ronan McGeehin (Gaelic football goalkeeper) * March:

Declan Coulter Declan Coulter (born 1987/8) is a hurler. He plays for Setanta, the Donegal county team and the Ireland national team. Coulter previously played for Cuchulainn's and the Armagh county team. Playing career Coulter made his inter-county deb ...

(hurling) * April: ''No award given due to the

COVID 19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

's impact on sports'' * May: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * June: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * July: Keith Cowan (association football) * August: Brendan O'Donnell (hammer throwing) * September: Oisin Orr (jockey) * October: Mark Anthony McGinley (association football) * November: Joe Boyle (hurling) * December: Aoife Gallanagh (association football)

2021

* January: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * February: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * March: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * April: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * May: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * June: ''No award given due to the

's impact on sports'' * July: Adrienne Gallen (hammer throwing) * August:

(race walking) * September: Helena Melly (pool) * October: Dylan Browne McMonagle (horse racing) * November: Kieran Tobin (Gaelic football) * December: Ciara Grant (association football)

2022

* January: Shannon Ní Chuinneagáin (basketball) * February: Ryan Griffin (golf) * March: Riona Doherty (athletics) * April: Peter Scott (rugby) * May: Jack Parke (association football) Ciara Grant WUG

;Multiple winners *

(2013, 2021) * Mark English (2012, 2013, 2014) *

(2016, 2017) *

Jason Quigley Jason Quigley is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 48 career games in the AFL.

(2012, 2013)

References

''Sunday Business Post'', 2002/03/10: "''Derry People'' renamed ''Donegal News''"

External links

*
North West of Ireland Printing and Publishing"The Last Corncrake"
{{Ireland newspapers 1903 establishments in Ireland Mass media in Letterkenny Newspapers published in Northern Ireland Newspapers published in the Republic of Ireland Publications established in 1903 Weekly newspapers published in Ireland