Hugh McLaughlin(October, 1918 – January 1, 2006) was an Irish publisher and inventor.

He was born at Killygordan, Co. Donegal, the youngest child of a stationmaster. At 16, be became a barman's apprentice in Gardiner Street, Dublin, Ireland. In 1935 he an established a tailoring business with his sister Anne Beggs. By 1950 he was involved with a printing company called Fleet and began publishing magazines for greyhound owners. Kavanagh's Weekly followed in 1952, which featured Patrick Kavanagh. Due the success, Hugh McLaughlin decided to continue to publish indigenous Irish magazines. These would compete with British magazines. Titles included Creation, Irish Farmers Journal, Woman's Way, Woman's Choice, Business and Finance, This Week(1969-1972) and Nikki. These magazines were published by his company the Creation group.

In 1973 he founded the Sunday World with his business partner Gerry McGuinness. By 1977, Creation went into liquidation, which resulted in magazine titles being sold and in 1978 Independent Newspapers took control of 54 per-cent in the Sunday World. Hugh McLaughlin went on to established another Sunday newspaper, the Sunday Tribune, with business partner John Mulcahy. In 1982, he unsuccessfully launched a daily newspaper the Daily News. This was to be his last publishing venture.

He married Nuala Ryan. In retirement he invented a machine, the water hog that removed water from cricket pitches and putting greens.

Sources

• Sunday Independent (8 Jan. 2006). Hugh McLaughlin.Retrieved Jan. 15, 2006.
• ”Publisher who became monarch of the magazine sector.” (7 Jan. 2006). The Irish Times p14.