[2] The paper was founded by John Francis Maguire under the title The Cork Examiner in 1841 in support of the Catholic Emancipation and tenant rights work of Daniel O'Connell.

[5] At the time of the Spanish Civil War, the Cork Examiner reportedly took a strongly pro-Franco tone in its coverage of the conflict.

[6] As of the early to mid-20th century, the newspaper reportedly catered to a "socially-conservative reader base" and reflected a "conservative nationalist agenda".

[10] The newspaper, along with 'sister paper' the Evening Echo,[11] was part of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings group.

[20] As of 2021, its editorial policy has been described as centrist or conservative;[21][22] the Eurotopics website described the political orientation of the Irish Examiner as liberal.