This reflects a sales decline in line with the newspaper's decision to discontinue its international edition of 2,000 copies, sold primarily in Britain. During the same period in 2005 the Sunday Tribune's average sales were 71,808.

"There were issues in relation to the marketing and distribution of the newspaper in the period covered by these figures, " said editor N�ir�n Hegarty. "We have taken steps to address those issues. We are confident that we will post considerable improvement in circulation during the first six months of this year."

The Sunday Independent had a circulation of 287,750 at the end of 2006, a modest increase of 0.4% on the previous year. The Sunday Business Post, owned by Thomas Crosbie Holdings (TCH), recorded circulation of 53,860.

Among Irish daily newspapers, the Irish Independent retained its position as market leader, with average net circulation of 163,732.

The Irish Times saw a modest decline in its sales, down 1.1% to a circulation of 116,102. The Irish Examiner, also owned by TCH, saw a decline of 4.5% to 56,441.

The Evening Herald's daily edition held steady, posting a 0.3% gain in circulation to 85,756. Its weekend edition, however, saw a decline of 2.9%, to 50,087.