How to Read The Irish Times Without a Subscription
The Irish Times has run a metered paywall since 2015 and locks most of its journalism after a few reads. Here is how it works and how to read any Irish Times article in full.
Paywall behaviour last tested
The Irish Times is Ireland's paper of record, and since 2015 its website has run one of the more tightly enforced metered paywalls in European news. Readers abroad who want to follow Irish politics, property or sport soon find the "Subscribe to continue" panel. This guide explains how the paywall works and how to read a full Irish Times article without a subscription.
How the Irish Times paywall works
The Irish Times uses a metered paywall with a low allowance. Non-subscribers get a few free articles a month, counted by a cookie, and then see a subscription prompt in place of the article body. Some public-interest coverage, such as major breaking news, is occasionally left outside the meter.
The site runs on Arc, the publishing platform built by The Washington Post and used by dozens of newspapers. On the Irish Times, the platform delivers the complete article in the HTML for search engines and applies the paywall with a script in the browser. That means a crawler-style reader can retrieve the full story. In our most recent test, a 580-word Irish Times crime and law report loaded in full through Skip the Paywall, with all 17 paragraphs.
Read an Irish Times article in full
- Copy the article link. Irish Times links look like irishtimes.com/section/2026/09/26/headline-slug/.
- Paste it into the box on the home page and press Read Article.
- The article appears in a clean reader view with the headline, byline and full text.
What about the Irish Independent?
The Irish Times' main rival, Independent.ie, uses a different setup that blocks automated requests, and the reader cannot fetch its articles. The Irish Examiner is largely free to read. If you are looking for Irish news you can read without a subscription, the Irish Times through the reader and the Examiner directly are the two most useful options.
Other approaches
- Library access. Many Irish public libraries offer free digital access to the Irish Times through the PressReader service with a library card. It is the most durable free option if you read the paper regularly.
- Private windows. The meter lives in cookies, so a private window resets it. This still works on the Irish Times, though the allowance is small.
- The ePaper. The page-by-page digital edition is subscriber-only and not available through any reader.
How it compares with UK papers
Readers in Britain often follow the Irish Times alongside the London titles. For comparison, The Times and The Independent both load in full through the reader, while The Telegraph and the Financial Times do not. Our explainer on metered versus hard paywalls sets out why.
Support the paper if you read it often
The Irish Times is owned by a trust rather than a proprietor, and subscriptions are its main source of revenue. Digital subscriptions start at a few euro a month on introductory offers. If it is part of your daily routine, that is the right way to keep it going.
Try it with an article
Paste the URL of an article from Irish Times and read it in a clean reader view. Free, instant, no signup.
Frequently asked questions
How many free articles does the Irish Times give you?
The Irish Times does not publish the figure and adjusts it periodically. Most readers see the subscription prompt after a handful of articles in a month.
Can I read the Irish Times for free with a library card?
Many Irish public libraries provide access to the Irish Times through PressReader. Ask your local library; it is free with membership.
Does Skip the Paywall work on Independent.ie?
No. Independent.ie blocks automated requests, so the reader cannot fetch its articles. The Irish Times and the Irish Examiner are the Irish titles that work.