McSparran, Daniel (1888–1964), doctor and newspaper proprietor, was born 5 February 1888, one of the five sons of James McSparran, merchant and farmer, and his wife, Annie McSparran (née McDonnell), in Cushendun, Co. Antrim. The McSparrans were a highly respected family from the Glens of Antrim, many of whom had distinguished careers in the church, law, medicine and public life. His father was active in local politics; he served on the Antrim county council for many years. Educated at St Mungo's Academy in Glasgow and St Malachy's College, Belfast, Daniel later qualified as a doctor from University College, Dublin. When he returned to Belfast he initially established a medical practice on the Falls Road, later moving to the Antrim Road in the city. He married Marguerite McCormick, daughter of William McCormick, an estate agent, in Belfast in 1918. They had four children, two boys and two girls.
Outside of his medical practice, McSparran had many business and recreational interests, one of his most abiding and consuming being the Irish News newspaper. The paper was established in 1891 as an anti-Parnellite paper and a rival to the Parnellite paper the Morning News; by 1892 the Irish News had taken over the Morning News. In 1929 he joined the board of directors of the newspaper and succeeded Joseph Devlin (qv) as chairman in January 1934. Almost immediately, important and far-reaching changes were introduced: the size of the newspaper was increased and the news services were expanded. Throughout the paper he was a popular figure and was known affectionately as ‘the Doctor’. He took great pride in the Irish News as ‘the old lady of Donegall Street’. In the early days he regularly battled with his colleagues over the mess in the journalists' room and, to penalise them, introduced a system of fines which he stubbornly collected.
McSparran was also closely identified with the Mater Infirmorum Hospital in Belfast; he joined the board of directors and in 1939 he was appointed honorary secretary. He played an active part in the defence of the Mater as a voluntary hospital during the controversy over its status as a catholic institution when the revolutionary hospital bill came before Stormont in 1948. He had a keen interest in history and archaeology but took no active part in politics. In 1949 he accompanied the Belfast Celtic football club on its tour to America, in his capacity as one of the directors of the club. He also served as president of St Malachy's College Old Boys' Association, and was a founding member of the Falls bowling and tennis club. He died 18 September 1964 at his home in Belfast. His son Daniel J. McSparran (1922–1981), also a doctor, born 20 August 1922, succeeded him as chairman of the Irish News. Like his father, he was educated at St Malachy's College, but qualified as a doctor from Queen's University, Belfast. Following graduation, he joined his father's medical practice in the Falls Road. He married Nuala Conlon, daughter of James Conlon, a publican, in Belfast in 1973. They had no children. In May 1981 he and his sister Mary were involved in a serious car accident. His sister died instantly and he died a month later, on 4 June 1981, as a result of his injuries. This marked the end of the McSparran family's involvement in the Irish News after a half century; it was taken over by James Fitzpatrick in 1983.