The Irish News was founded in 1891 but dates back to 1855 with the launch of the Belfast Morning News. In 1890 Irish nationalist Charles Stewart Parnell's affair with Kitty O'Shea led to a bitter divorce scandal, splitting Parnell's supporters. The Belfast Morning News supported Parnell while the new Irish News adopted an anti-Parnell platform. A year later, the Irish News overtook its rival and today it is Northern Ireland's main nationalist newspaper and its only independently owned daily newspaper. The paper has particularly comprehensive Gaelic Sports coverage.
