The Irish Times (Opinion)

Irish center-left / liberal European

Background

The Irish Times was founded in Dublin in 1859 by Major Lawrence Knox as a daily newspaper aimed at an Irish Protestant readership, with a moderate Unionist editorial stance. After Knox's death in 1873, the Arnott family acquired the paper and adopted a more firmly Unionist line. Following Irish independence, editor Robert Smyllie (1934–1954) began reorienting the paper toward the new Irish state rather than the former colonial establishment. Editor Douglas Gageby (1963–1974 and 1977–1986) accelerated that transformation, broadening the paper's appeal well beyond the Protestant community and modernizing its journalism. In 1974, ownership was transferred to The Irish Times Trust CLG, a non-charitable trust with no shareholders, ensuring that profits are reinvested in publishing rather than extracted. The paper now holds high marks for factual reporting from major media-bias analysts and is rated center-left in its editorial orientation. Its opinion section publishes a range of voices—from liberal social commentators to occasional conservative and Catholic columnists—but its editorial line consistently favors liberal democratic values, European integration, and a skeptical posture toward right-wing populism, including Trump-style nationalism.

Sources

1. Irish Times – Media Ownership Monitor Ireland
2. Irish Times Trust – Media Ownership Monitor Ireland
3. The Irish Times – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
4. Irish Times journalism now fully funded by subscribers – Press Gazette
5. The Irish Times Trust | Safeguarding Independent Journalism
6. Trump's second term: the president who refuses to be ignored – The Irish Times
7. A diplomat's advice on how Ireland should approach Trump's visit – The Irish Times
8. The Irish Times – Wikipedia

Profile compiled 2026-09-12; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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