As the BritishNewspaperArchive.co.uk (BNA) approaches a new milestone of 60million pages of historical newspapers, two more Irish titles have been added to the database. They are:
Established in 1859, the Roscommon Herald is still in circulation and is the County's largest selling local newspaper. It is a weekly print title, produced from Roscommon Town and Boyle and published on Tuesdays. The BNA's holding, when complete, will span 1859 to 1953.
The Midland Reporter and Westmeath Nationalist
This paper was published in Mullingar from 1891 to 1939 and was an important regional paper in its day. The BNA holding, however, seems to be limited to the editions circulating in 1928. only.
In addition to the two new titles above, researchers may also wish to take a look at another historical paper much read by Irish Catholics, especially those who had settled in Liverpool, London and Irish hotspots in the north of England.
The weekly Catholic Times and Catholic Opinion was founded in 1860 in Manchester and went on to became the most widely read Catholic paper in England around the turn of the 19th century. Despite a decline in circulation in the first half of the 20th century, it continued to be published and it was only two years ago that it merged with The Universe.