What is The42?
The42 (styled “The 42”) is the sports title of Journal Media, the independently owned Dublin publisher of The Journal. It began in 2010 as TheScore.ie and was renamed The42 from January 2015. It is a listed member of the Press Council of Ireland and states that its staff operate within the Council’s Code of Practice.[1] [2] [4]
What does it cover?
Irish and international sport daily — GAA, soccer and the League of Ireland, rugby, golf, horse racing, boxing, motorsport, athletics, NFL and NBA — with live blogs, GAA fixtures, video and quizzes. GAA has its own section with regular staff bylines, Declan Bogue’s among them.[5]
What is its reach and standing?
No figure is published for The42 alone; Journal Media claims the largest online news audience in Ireland and a top-two placing in the Reuters Digital News Report every year since 2017 — parent-level measures. Standing rests on two things the site can document: Press Council membership, and an advertising policy that labels native content “Sponsored” or “Brought to you by” with an explicit editorial-independence line.[1] [2] [3]
Since when?
2010 as TheScore.ie; The42 from January 2015 — “four and a bit years” after launch, in the site’s own announcement — with Adrian Russell as editor at the rebrand.[1] [4]
Why does it matter in Gaelic games?
Because it combines a staffed GAA section with press-council accountability, which most sports sites cannot show. For a Gaelic-games profile or a rugby or League of Ireland report it is the standard Irish citation below the two national newspapers — and, unlike most sports sites, it can show a written policy on what is editorial and what is paid.[2] [3] [5]
References
- The 42 — About us. Accessed September 2026.
- Press Council of Ireland — member publications. Accessed September 2026.
- The 42 — Advertising policy. Accessed September 2026.
- The 42 — “Why is TheScore.ie becoming The42?”. Accessed September 2026.
- The 42 — GAA section. Accessed September 2026.