The Constitution, or Cork Morning Post was first published in June 1822, by George Edwards and Osborne Savage, and was printed thrice-weekly (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) by John Rorke (c. 1771-1837) at the Constitution office in Castle Street. The title changed in 1825 to The Constitution, or Cork Advertiser. Over the following decades, the paper became the primary organ of the Unionist viewpoint in the city. Its printing presses were destroyed by anti-Treaty forces in August 1922, and though the paper was revived, it finally ceased in 1924.
Special Collections holds bound volumes of The Constitution, or Cork Advertiser for 1826 and for June 1827-May 1828, as well as some loose issues for 1857. In addition, CD-ROM discs are held for January 1919 to July 1922.
For The Cork Weekly News, there are microfilms for 1883 to 1923.
Other holdings
Significant runs of the newspaper are held by Trinity College, Dublin; the British Library; and the National Library of Ireland. Many issues are also held, in print form and on microfilm, by Cork City Libraries. In addition, the years 1826-1835, 1851-1878 and 1884-1896 are available through the British Newspaper Archive (for-pay service), with the related Cork Weekly News also available there for the years 1883 to 1923.
Jones, Siobhán. Polarised media : the Cork Examiner and Cork Constitution of the 1890s. M.A. thesis, University College, Cork, 2002.
McCarthy, Alan. Newspapers and journalism in Cork, 1910-23 : press politics and revolution. Dublin : Four Courts Press, 2020.
