The Argus

The Argus was founded in 1835, making it one of the oldest provincial newspapers in Ireland. It was originally founded by R.H. Taylor as The Drogheda Argus and Leinster Journal and was Unionist in its editorial stance. Notably, from 1885 to 1902, the Argus was edited by Anne Hughes, one of the first woman newspaper editors in Ireland. Accounts of the early 20th century history of the Argus are inconsistent. One source suggests that the paper ceased publication around 1916. In 1929, the paper merged with its competitor, The Drogheda Advertiser, but closed soon after in 1935. 

In 1943, printer and cinema owner Joe Stanley re-launched The Argus. Facing immediate competition from the Drogheda Independent, Stanley sought to expand circulation by first launching a Dundalk and then Monaghan edition. Stanley was known as a “printer to the rising” (the Easter Rising of 1916), publishing pamphlets to inform the public about subversive efforts. He was also a close friend of Éamon de Valera, who would go on to become Ireland’s third president. Given Stanley’s political leanings, he ensured that the Argus took on a Republican slant.  

The Argus changed hands several times after Joe Stanley’s death in1950, first being sold to the Catholic Herald, and then in 1959, to the director of the Drogheda Independent, Seamus O’Rourke. Though notionally operating in the same north-east market, the two papers avoided direct competition. The Argus focused on Dundalk, North Louth and Monaghan areas, while the Independent concentrated on the region in and around Drogheda.

In 1967, Independent Newspapers made a bid for the titles understood to be worth in the region of £40,000. In January 1968, the Drogheda Independent reported that the Independent Newspapers bid had been accepted by shareholders representing more than 95% of the issued share capital. 

In 2019, INM’s holdings were purchased by Mediahuis NV and re-branded as Mediahuis Ireland. Mediahuis NV owns news titles throughout the EU, including the entire Euractiv media network. The company’s largest individual shareholders are the Baert Family, the van Puijenbroek Family, and Thomas Leysen

The Argus is printed on Wednesdays. Information on its circulation is not publicly available, though as of 2003, the Irish Independent called it one of the “fastest growing newspapers in the country.” This lack of information is perhaps unsurprising as Mediahuis Ireland, the paper’s owner, foresees phasing out all print sales by 2033.