A bespoke collection of Irish Times journalism exclusively for subscribers featuring previews and the best of the week that wasWhy does The Irish Times insist on saying the first World War, that first being lower case? There is a long answer to each of these questions, but the short answer is: because The Irish Times Stylebook says we must. Others, such as the rules on exclamation marks (“Don’t use”) or going forward (“Please don’t”) are to the point. The Irish Times stopped using Mr, Ms, Mrs and other courtesy titles in most sections, including arts, features, obituaries and sport, decades ago. We would never say “Mr Kelleher launched the ball towards Mr Scales, who headed it down for Mr Parrott to score.”Honorifics never appear in opinion columns or editorials.

Source: The Irish Times February 01, 2026 08:31 UTC