Daily Ireland to lay off staff three months after launch

The owners of the nationalist-leaning Daily Ireland newspaper have confirmed plans to lay off staff just three months after its official launch.

The Andersonstown News Group launched the newspaper at the start of February with a circulation area mainly covering the North and the four border counties in the Republic.

The company said today that it had been forced to cut staff numbers at Daily Ireland due to the British government's refusal to advertise with the paper.

It said it had lodged an official complaint with the Equality Commission challenging the attitude of the British authorities.

The precise number of jobs at risk is not known, but it is believed up to 12 workers, one third of the newspaper's workforce, may be made redundant.