Diário de Notícias

The first periodical published in this city was O Patriota Funchalense (‘The Funchal Patriot’), in 1821, which appeared twice weekly. Fifty-five years later came the first daily newspaper, the Diário de Notícias, whose first issue appeared on 11 October 1876.

In a narrow milieu such as Madeira, where love of letters was never great, the decision to publish a daily newspaper was a risky undertaking, but one worthy of the highest praise. That date marks a glorious stage in the history of local journalism, and the name of this paper’s founder is engraved in letters of gold in the annals of our literary life.

The illustrious Madeiran Canon Alfredo César de Oliveira, a poet, journalist and orator of rare merit, launched this daily paper, which to many seemed an unattainable utopia and to most an enterprise whose life would last little longer than Malherbe’s roses... For some years he sustained it with the force of his talent, prestige and influence. To do so he had to struggle against enormous difficulties, which the tenacity and energy of his will overcame entirely.

In editing and running the Diário de Notícias, Canon Alfredo de Oliveira had the valuable assistance of the distinguished Madeiran writer João de Nóbrega Soares.

Besides Canon Alfredo C. de Oliveira and João de Nóbrega Soares, the following writers and journalists successively served as editors of this paper: Francisco Clementino de Sousa, João José Vieira, Captain António Alves Conti, Second Lieutenant Augusto César de Morais, Captain José Augusto Pereira Ramalho, Lieutenant João Augusto César de Freitas, Father João Maurício Henriques, Lieutenant João José de Freitas, João José de Macedo Júnior, Luís de Ornelas Pinto Coelho, Ciríaco de Brito e Nóbrega, Father Fernando Augusto da Silva, Dr Manuel Sardinha, Francisco da Conceição Rodrigues, José da Silva Coelho, Dr Domingos dos Reis Costa, Feliciano Soares and Dr Alberto de Araújo.

Ownership of the paper passed from Canon Alfredo de Oliveira to Alexandre Fernandes Camacho, and then to the Baron of Jardim do Mar (‘garden by the sea’) and João Eleutério Martins; today its owners are Blandy Brothers.

The first 24 issues were published in Calçada do Cidrão (‘citron causeway’). The paper then began to appear from the mezzanine of the building in Rua de João Tavira that housed the civil government until a few years ago. Later all its premises moved to the building on the corner of the same street and the beginning of Avenida do Dr. Manuel de Arriaga.

It is the oldest newspaper in Madeira and the one that has had the longest and most prosperous existence here.