Northern Star (newspaper of the Society of United Irishmen)

Political content dominated the Northern Star but its publication of local news, as opposed to the focus on British and international affairs of other Irish newspapers of the time, brought it wide popularity.

The newspaper was initially protected from the authorities due to the support of well-connected liberals but following the outbreak of war between Britain and Revolutionary France in 1793 and the subsequent banning of the United Irishmen as a seditious body it began to draw increasing attention.

The paper was alleged to be behind the Dublin-based Union Star, a militant, low-circulation newssheet, often posted in public places, which specialized in naming informers, "notorious Orangemen", and other enemies of the United Irishmen, being regarded by Dublin Castle as a republican hitlist.

The extensive distribution network and potency of the Northern Star in spreading United Irish opinion alarmed the authorities and possession of a copy came to be regarded as an admission of seditious intent.

[2] In the event official suppression was not necessary as on 19 May 1797, three days after the execution of their ex-comrades, a mob of Monaghan militiamen anxious to prove their loyalty attacked the offices of the Northern Star and destroyed not only the printing presses but the building itself.