The Irish independent (colloquially known as The Independent or The Indo) is Ireland’s top selling daily newspaper with an average daily print circulation of just over 60,000 copies (2020). The Irish Independent covers a diverse range of areas, including news, politics, business, entertainment, sports and culture, as well as opinion pieces and content related to lifestyle and travel. It is the flagship publication of Mediahuis Ireland (formerly Independent News and Media or INM), Ireland’s largest media conglomerate, and a subsidiary of Mediahuis N.V.

The Irish Independent was formed in 1905 by William Martin Murphy, a controversial Irish nationalist businessman. It was Ireland’s first modern mass market newspaper, was half the price of its competitors, and contained novel “populist features” such as sports coverage and a women’s page. In the early 20th century The Irish independent established itself as a conservative voice, siding with business owners during the 1913 lockout and calling for the execution of the leaders of the 1916 rising. The independent was run through Murphy’s company Independent Newspapers Limited, which would later become Independent News and Media (INM).

In 1973 control of INM left the Murphy family for the first time, when Kerrygold founder Tony O’Reilly bought a 28% stake in the company, and became CEO and Chairperson. O’Reilly, a former international Rugby Union player often considered to be Ireland’s first billionaire, who would later become chairman of the H.J Heinz Company. Under his leadership, the paper’s politics became more market liberal and economically right of centre.

Ownership was transferred again in May 2012 when Communicorp founder and billionaire Denis O’Brien became the majority shareholder of Independent News and Media (INM), and once more in 2019 when INM was acquired by current owners Mediahuis NV, and became Mediahuis Ireland. Mediahuis NV’s shareholders comprise Mediahuis Partners NV (50.6%), Concentra (32.7%) and VP Exploitatie (16.7%).