Paper History

The Larne Times and its associated papers could well be traced way back to the 1860s. William and George Baird were the founders of the famous Ulster firm of W and G Baird, which was established on November 1, 1861.

The brothers were both employed by the Ulster Printing Company which owned the Belfast Daily Mercury, a paper priced at one and an half old pence and which ceased to exist in 1861.

William Baird was the overseer of the company's jobbing department and George of the newspaper department.

The Ulster Printing Company had at the time practically all the large contracts for printing in Ulster, including work for the Belfast Corporation and the Ulster railways.  Baird's Guide, which was known as the Irish Railway and Steamboat Guide, was first issued In 1852 by UPC.

For a considerable time William and George had contemplated establishing an evening newspaper in Belfast. From 1868 there were four in England and Scotland - the Bradford Telegraph, South Shields Gazette, Greenock Telegraph and Glasgow Citizen.

Also that year there was established The Echo, the first ha'penny paper in London.

The Interest taken in the Franco-Prussian war caused William and George to re-ponder the question of an evening paper. On Sunday, August 28, as William Baird, accompanied by his son Robert, was on his way from Ormeau Road to St. John's Church, he noticed a street bill proclaiming "New  evening paper will shortly appear”.

Knowing by the type of the bill that it originated from the "Banner of Ulster" office in Donegall Street, he made up his mind then and there that he would be first in the field in Belfast with a half penny evening paper.

On Monday, August 29, 1870  William and his son Robert arrived as usual at the printing office in Arthur Street at 6 a.m. - the normal starting time for the 66 hour week then worked. That morning street bills ware printed and posted proclaiming that the "Belfast Evening Telegraph will appear on Thursday, September 1”.

It was a great feat to have the paper published on the designated day as the type had to come from Sheffield and did not arrive until late on the Wednesday. Had it not been for the efforts of a skilled overseer called Fltzpatrick, who had previously been sacked by the Northern Whig for "devoting too much time to public affairs" the  Telegraph which  appeared at 3 p.m. that day might not have hit the streets until a few hours later.

Rev. N. E Smith,  Rector of Drew Memorial Church, Grosvenor Road, and a number of friends were around the Double Demy Dawson Wharfedale press and Rev. Smith took the first printed copy and handed it over, together with a  halfpenny, so that Robert H. H. Baird could purchase it.

So the Belfast Evening Telegraph was the first halfpenny daily newspaper published in Ireland. The rival paper, the Evening Press, didn't appear for another five days and only lasted two years.

The Belfast Evening Telegraph was an immediate success and the machinery was totally inadequate to keep up with the daily demand. So, on Monday, September 5, William and Robert went to London and bought new presses and the future of a great newspaper was secure.

The company went from strength to strength and on February 28, 1873 the now defunct Belfast Weekly Telegraph appeared. The Ballymena Weekly Telegraph, now the Ballymena Times, first appeared on August 6 1887.

The Baird's stable of titles continued to expand and on May 9, 1891 the Larne Times was born. The Baird family continued to own the Telegraph and its associated papers until the 1960s when a certain Canadian by the name of Roy Thomson bought them. Roy Thomson of course became Lord Thomson.