Irish Workers' Party

Irish Workers' Party or Irish Workers' League were the names used by the communist party in the Republic of Ireland from 1948 until 1970.[1]

This article is about the party founded in 1948. For the party founded in 1926, see Irish Workers' Party (1926). For the current Workers' Party, see Workers' Party of Ireland.

Background

The Southern section of the Communist Party of Ireland had suspended its activities from 1941 onwards because of police interference in its activities and the difficulties imposed by the emigration of many members to find work in England. Members were encouraged instead to join the Labour Party (though they were subsequently expelled). The influx of communists (both from Jim Larkins party and the Communist Party of Ireland) to the Labour party and union movement cause a split in Labour with the formation of National Labour. During the time the communists still ran a revolutionary book shop New Books and produced a publication Irish Review.

Irish Workers' League

After the Second World War, internees released from the Curragh Camp such as the Connolly Group and with expulsions from the Labour Party, the party was re-established in the South in 1948 under the name Irish Workers' League. Michael O'Riordan became its Secretary, others involved in early meetings of the party included Dominic Behan, Sam Nolan, Joe O'Connor and Sean Mulready.[2] The IWL resumed publication of The Irish Workers' Voice which had been a publication of the Communist Party. The IWL ran candidates in the unsuccessfully in the 1951, 1954, and 1961 general elections.

Change of name to Irish Workers' Party

The group's name was changed to Irish Workers’ Party in 1962. However, the organization did not register itself as a political party. Thus, its candidates were not considered until the 1965 general election. But, it fielded some candidates unsuccessfully in the 1965 and 1969 general elections. In December 1965 the IWP began publishing a monthly newspaper The Irish Socialist from its New Books bookshop.

In 1970 The Irish Workers' Party merged with the Communist Party of Northern Ireland to reconstitute the all-Ireland Communist Party of Ireland.

General Secretary

References
  1. A history of the communist movement in Ireland - Communist Party Website
  2. 'The Communist Party of Ireland 1921 - 2011' By Matt Treacy, Dublin 2012.

Coakley, John. “http://Ljournal.ru/Wp-Content/Uploads/2017/03/a-2017-023.Pdf.” Minor Parties in Irish Political Life, 1922–1989, vol. 21, no. 3, 2017. The Economic and Social Review, doi:10.18411/a-2017-023.

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