Irish-American newspaper launches in Ireland

One of the US's most prominent Irish-American newspapers is going on sale in Ireland today for the first time.

The Irish Echowhich sells some 20,000 copies in the US, will be distributed to readers throughout the 32 counties and will be known as America's Irish Echo.

The paper, which competes for weekly readership in the US with the Irish Voice,is hoping to expand into the Irish market by targeting returned emigrants and business people who regularly travel to the US.

The paper, which is the oldest continuously-published Irish-American weekly newspaper, primarily concentrates on news affecting the Irish community in New York.

It was sold by the Grimes family in New York to Dublin businessman Seán Finlay for $2.2 million in 2001.

The paper's managing editor, Mr Seán MacCarthaigh, said: "What we are doing this week reflects in a small way the latest chapter in Ireland's economic and social story."

"This is the first time in the Irish Echo's 77 years there have been emigrants not just from Ireland to the US, but also from the US to Ireland. We're proud to be a part of that," he added.

The paper is printed in Belfast by the Andersonstown News Group which also publishes Daily Ireland, the Andersonstown Newsand the daily Irish language newspaper Lá.

Some 5,000 copies were printed for the first run and the group is planning to extend this to 10,000 within six months. The paper is distributed throughout Ireland by Eason's and the WNS chain.