STUDIO, a "soft porn" magazine, has been banned by the Censorship of Publications Board, the first Irish magazine to be prohibited since 1975.
Studio, published by Utopia Publishing Ltd, of Grand Canal Street, Dublin, offers a mix of naked women, "lifestyle" features and pornographic stories. Much of the material seems to have been recycled from other publications.
The magazine states that volume one, issue one contains material which has been published in other magazines and refers to previous issues, suggesting that it has been published before. Normally, three issues of a magazine are taken into account when banning is being considered.
Unlike similar magazines published in other countries, genitalia have been censored. Such devices were not enough, however, to save it from being judged "indecent or obscene". The last Irish magazine to be banned was Man Alive.
Other publications to be banned are three books Cockers Folly by Janine Edwards, Slackhurst by Hilary Chale and Through the Hoops, bearing no author's name. The first two were published in Britain and the third in the US.
The board examines works which have been the subject of a complaint. The complainant is required to furnish the board with copies of the publication complained of.