Eamon de Valera, the then leader of Fianna Fail, founded a daily newspaper, the Irish Press, in September 1931. Frank Gallagher (1898 - 1962), a Cork-born journalist was the first editor of the Irish Press.

The Irish Press Group went into liquidation on September 8th 1995.

The former newspaper publisher's main activity is a 59% stake in local radio station Tipp FM. In 2003 the company's turnover rose from €1.3m to €1.7m. Irish Press plc has three directors and eight staff. Its principal assets are Thoms Directories and a controlling stake in independent radio station Tipp FM. Independent News & Media is still owed Euro 1.27m plus interest from loans it gave to the Irish Press in the mid-1990s.

in 2003 Irish Press was helped by an exceptional gain of nearly €200,000 linked to a partial reversal of a write-down in the value of its investments last year. The three directors of the company - Eamon De Valera (the founder's grandson), Vincent Jennings and JA Lenehan - were paid a total of €185,000.

For many years prior to 1988, Irish Press Plc had been the owner of the three well-known Irish newspapers, the Irish Press, the Evening Press and the Sunday Press. In 1988 it became clear to the directors of the company that substantial additional capital was required for the development of the newspapers and they set about seeking such capital. Their efforts were successful. Mr Ralph Ingersoll, who had substantial interests in the newspaper business in the United States, and also in England, agreed to invest IR£5 million in the newspapers.

Eventually this agreement ended in major disagreement with the Press suing Ingersoll and also it's advisors in the deal, Warburg Pincus. In January 2002 the Irish Press settled their High Court action for damages against the American venture bankers Warburg Pincus for a figure believed to be in excess of €6m.

They had alleged that Warburg Pincus was fully aware and failed to disclose that the Ingersoll companies were in financial difficulties; not able to meet their commitments; were experiencing serious management difficulties and were in a state of imminent collapse. Warburg Pincus denied the claims.

Not to be confused with the Philidelphia "The Irish Press", a weekly newspaper dedicated to Irish nationalism and to topics of interest to Irish-Americans. It was founded by Joseph McGarrity and published in Philadelphia from March 23, 1918 to May 6, 1922. The complete run of the Phildelphia version has now benn digitized by Falvey Memorial Library.