Historical Information on the Irish News Office

Overview of the Building

Nos 113-117 Donegall Street, a three-storey four-bay redbrick building, serves as the Irish News Offices. Constructed in 1905, this notable structure was designed by John Joseph McDonnell, a prominent Belfast-based architect.

Architectural Significance

McDonnell (1857-1924) was initially apprenticed to the Roman Catholic architect Timothy Hevey but established his independent practice in 1881. While McDonnell engaged in both commercial and domestic architecture, he is best known for his designs for the Roman Catholic Church, including convents, schools, and churches. His most distinguished work is the Roman Catholic Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Clonard Gardens, completed between 1908 and 1911. McDonnell also served as a local magistrate, being a Justice of the Peace from 1893 and a member of the Belfast Corporation from the late 1890s. His position as a nationalist Roman Catholic politician and architect made him an ideal candidate to design the pro-nationalist Irish News headquarters.

Location and Historical Context

Prior to 1905, the Irish News offices were situated at No. 125 Donegall Street. The new building was constructed that year to accommodate the offices and printing works of the periodical. Initial evaluations valued the Irish News headquarters at £230. The premises were mainly used for producing the ‘Irish News and Belfast Morning News’, while the ‘Irish Weekly and Ulster Examiner’ was also printed there under the management of Mr. T. Whyte.

Subsequent Modifications

No significant changes occurred until 1922-24, when W. J. Convery, a Belfast-based designer, executed alterations that resulted in the building’s current appearance. This renovation increased the property's value to £348. The First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland in 1935 further raised the value of the Irish News Offices to £490.

Survival Through Conflict

The building withstood the heavy bombardment of Belfast’s city centre during the 1941 Blitz. Following the Second World War, it was included in the second general revaluation commencing in 1956. By the 1950s, the value of Nos 113-117 Donegall Street had significantly increased to £1,230 due to the expansion of the printing facilities at the rear, with no further alterations recorded by the end of the revaluation in 1972.

Evolution of the Irish News

The Irish News, Belfast’s main nationalist daily newspaper, was established in 1891 as an Anti-Parnell periodical, emerging from the Belfast Morning News, founded in 1855. Its political outlook shifted rapidly, and by the early 20th century, the Irish News became one of the most widely produced nationalist papers in Belfast, as well as the first penny newspaper in Ireland. The newspaper's initial offices were at No. 125 Donegall Street, relocating to the current site in 1905. Historical accounts suggest that this site was once the location of a cotton spinning mill owned by John McCracken, father of the United Irishman, Henry Joy McCracken, which was demolished in the mid-19th century for the Victorian redevelopment of Donegall Street.

Current Status of the Building

The Irish News has occupied Nos 113-117 Donegall Street as its main headquarters for over a century. A modern rear extension was added before the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map from 1959-60. The Irish News offices were listed in 1990; in 1994, Patton characterised the building as a ‘three-storey four-bay building in red brick with painted stone or stucco details, set forward of the general building line. Deep dentilled fascia over ground floor, with central portion raised in segmental curve; slightly dropped keystones to upper floors; end bays have semi-circular pediments; channelled quoins at sides’. Although the Irish News continues to utilise Nos 113-117 Donegall Street as its headquarters, the building has been significantly altered since the 1970s due to nearby bombings and the relocation of printing presses, resulting in a diminished structure with very little historic fabric remaining.

References

Primary Sources

PRONI OS/6/1/61/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1901-02
PRONI OS/6/1/61/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1931
PRONI OS/6/1/61/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1938
PRONI VAL/12/B/43/C/33-45 – Annual Revisions 1906-1930
PRONI VAL/3/B/3/14 – First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1935
PRONI VAL/4/B/7/39 – Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland 1956-72
Irish Builder, Vol. 47 (7 Oct 1905); Vol. 66 (14 Jun 1924)
Belfast Street Directories (1901-1943)
First Survey Image – HB26/50/189 (1989)
Ordnance Survey map – 130-13NE (1959-60)

Secondary Sources

Bardon, J., ‘Belfast: An illustrated history’ Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1982.
Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1987.
Patton, M., ‘Central Belfast: An historical gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993.

Online Resources

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