127-710: Joe Sherlock (26 September 1930 – 10 September 2007) was an Irish Labour Party politician who served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 2002 to 2007, 1987 to 1992 and 1981 to 1982. He was a Senator for the Labour Panel from 1993 to 1997. Sherlock was born in Kildorrery , County Cork , in 1930. He was educated at the local national school. He took part in the IRA's Border Campaign as a young man, which resulted in him being imprisoned in Mountjoy Prison for six months. However, following
254-608: A Government that is actually hurting people", and she resigned from the party in July 2013. In June 2013, Patrick Nulty and Colm Keaveney resigned from the Labour Party. Willie Penrose returned to the parliamentary Labour Party in October 2013. On 26 May 2014, Gilmore resigned as party leader after Labour's poor performance in the European and local elections . On 4 July 2014, Joan Burton won
381-577: A Labour Party member of Dublin Corporation, was the only serving elected representative to be killed during the Easter Rising. O'Carroll was shot by John Bowen-Colthurst and died several days later, on 5 May 1916. The ICA was revived during Peadar O'Donnell 's Republican Congress but after the 1935 split in the Congress most ICA members joined the Labour Party. In Larkin's absence, William O'Brien became
508-461: A No vote. Leader Micheál Martin signalled his own desire for a Yes vote, but was unable to bring the party under one stance, and ultimately more than half of Fianna Fáil's TDs campaigned for a No vote. On polling day the Yes side won, 66% to 33%. After the 2020 general election , for the first time in history, Fianna Fáil entered into a coalition government with its traditional rival Fine Gael, as well as
635-557: A coalition with Fianna Fáil , taking office in January 1993 as the 23rd government of Ireland . Fianna Fáil leader Albert Reynolds remained as Taoiseach , and Labour Party leader Dick Spring became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs . After less than two years the government fell in a controversy over the appointment of Attorney General , Harry Whelehan , as president of the High Court . The parliamentary arithmetic had changed as
762-493: A coalition with the Progressive Democrats . The 1980s saw fierce disagreements between the wings of the party. The more radical elements, Labour Left, led by such figures as Emmet Stagg , Sam Nolan , Frank Buckley and Helena Sheehan , and Militant Tendency, led by Joe Higgins , opposed the idea of Labour entering into coalition government with either of the major centre-right parties (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael). At
889-654: A cumulative total of twenty-five years served as part of a government, the third-longest total of any party in the Republic of Ireland after Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Led by Ivana Bacik , it is the joint fifth-largest party in Dáil Éireann , with six seats, and is the joint third-largest party in Seanad Éireann , with four seats, making Labour the fifth-largest party in the Oireachtas overall as of 2021. It currently has 1 MEP. The Labour Party
1016-420: A decade now, a socially conservative, supposedly republican party has been led by a centrist social liberal with a more cautious position on Irish unification than even Leo Varadkar ." In the early 20th century, Fianna Fáil had a more explicitly working-class orientation. In 1926, Seán Lemass described the party as "a progressive republican party based on the actual conditions of the moment" while upon winning
1143-599: A democratic socialist party. Its constitution refers to the party as a "movement of democratic socialists, social democrats, environmentalists, progressives, feminists (and) trade unionists". It has been described as a "big tent" party by the Irish Independent . The stance of the Labour Party has changed dramatically over time. In 1964, American historian Emmet Larkin described the Irish Labour Party as "the most opportunistically conservative Labour Party anywhere in
1270-505: A full-scale devotional revival of Catholicism was reflected in the outlook and policies of the party. The ' Starry Plough ,' the traditional symbol of Labour, reflects a Catholic tradition and biblical reference to Isaiah 2:3-4, which is integral to its design. Like Fianna Fáil, Labour embraced corporatist policies, again influenced by the Catholic Church. This was deemed to be important for both in terms of winning electoral support from
1397-494: A general election. Between 1994 and 1997 Fine Gael , the Labour Party, and Democratic Left governed in the 24th government of Ireland . Dick Spring became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs again. Labour greatly influenced the policy document for the 1993-1994 coalition, with one observer noting that Fianna Fáil's policy document for the coalition "contained lots of our policies, While swaths of texts were lifted from our manifesto". (Bowcott 1993) The Labour Party presented
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#17330942560441524-479: A generation that will build a new Ireland, an Ireland of which we can all be proud". Fianna Fáil has not contested any elections in Northern Ireland since its registration and recognition there in 2007. At the party's 2014 Ard Fheis, a motion was passed without debate to stand candidates for election north of the border for the first time in 2019. Since 24 January 2019, the party have been in partnership with
1651-584: A loss of 30 seats on its showing in 2011. On 20 May 2016, Brendan Howlin was elected unopposed as leader ; some controversy arose from the fact that there was no contest for the leadership because none of his parliamentary colleagues were prepared to second the nomination of Alan Kelly . Howlin stated that as leader he was prepared to bring Labour back into government, citing the lack of influence on policy from opposition. He denied any suggestions that Labour could lose any further support from their 2016 performance, stating "We're not some outfit that comes out of
1778-568: A more social liberal profile. Fianna Fáil supported the unsuccessful 2024 Irish constitutional referendums , which would have deleted a reference to women’s domestic duties and broadened the definition of the family. Evidence from expert surveys, opinion polls and candidate surveys have failed to identify strong distinctions between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Fianna Fáil is generally considered more populist and economically interventionist than its rival. University College Dublin professor Thomas Däubler wrote that Fianna Fáil had "made
1905-485: A move to the centre" in the 2016 election , which resulted in Fine Gael being placed "considerably to the right" of Fianna Fáil. In 2020, Time magazine described Fianna Fáil as "slightly more socially conservative and further to the left on the economy" than Fine Gael. Fianna Fáil has been described in modern times as struggling with its identity as a party. In 2023, Jack Sheehan of The Irish Times wrote that "for
2032-455: A number of sources suggested might have been the single worst result in its history when the party polled extremely poorly in the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election . The result prompted Jim O'Callaghan and Cathal Crowe to question whether Martin should lead the party into its next general election. In February 2023, former leader Bertie Ahern rejoined the party, having left in 2012. Over
2159-474: A programme of social reform with which the party was in sympathy. In the 1943 general election the party won 17 seats, its best result since 1927. The Irish Labour Party and the Irish Trades Union Congress separated in 1930. Future leader William Norton was prominent in urging the separation of the political and industrial wings of the labour movement into autonomous organisations, arguing that
2286-464: A report by academic experts writing for the votewatch.eu site found that FF "do not seem to toe the political line" of the ALDE Group "when it comes to budget and civil liberties" issues. In the 2014 European elections , Fianna Fáil received 22.3% of first-preference votes but only returned a single MEP , a reduction in representation of two MEPs from the previous term. This was due to a combination of
2413-508: A result of Fianna Fáil's loss of two seats in by-elections in June , where the Labour Party itself had performed disastrously. On the pretext that the Labour Party voters were not happy with involvement with Fianna Fáil, Dick Spring withdrew his support for Reynolds as Taoiseach. The Labour Party negotiated a new coalition, the first time in Irish political history that one coalition replaced another without
2540-590: A split in the Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) with Jack Macgougan leading anti- Partition members out and affiliating branches to the Dublin party, joined by other left-wing and nationalist representatives and branded locally as "Irish Labour". At Westminster, Jack Beattie held Belfast West from 1951 to 1955 ; the British Labour party refused Beattie its whip . At Stormont, Belfast Dock
2667-467: Is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland . Ideological classifications of the party vary; the party is commonly referred to as conservative , though it has also been described as Christian democratic , liberal or ideologically ambiguous. The party was founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de Valera and his supporters after they split from Sinn Féin in order to take seats in
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#17330942560442794-627: Is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and of Liberal International . From February 2019 to September 2022, Fianna Fáil was in partnership with the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland . Fianna Fáil was founded by Éamon de Valera , a former leader of Sinn Féin . The previous year, de Valera proposed a motion calling for elected members to be allowed to take their seats in Dáil Éireann if and when
2921-736: Is a member of the Progressive Alliance , Socialist International , and Party of European Socialists . James Connolly , James Larkin and William O'Brien established the Irish Labour Party on 28 May 1912, as the political wing of the Irish Trades Union Congress , in Clonmel Town Hall . This party was to represent the workers in the expected Dublin Parliament under the Third Home Rule Act 1914 . However, after
3048-531: Is a mere transition phase on the road to securing the support of the majority of our people. At the next general election (we) must face the electorate with a clear-cut alternative to the conservatism of the past and present; and emerge . . . . as the Party which will shape the seventies. What I offer now is the outline of a new society, a New Republic. Brendan Corish became the new Labour leader in 1960. As leader, he advocated for more socialist policies to be adopted by
3175-530: Is acknowledged for having successfully guided Ireland through World War II unscathed but is criticised for leaving Ireland in economic and cultural stagnation. His successors such as Lemass however were able to turn around Ireland's economic fortunes as well as primed the country for entry into the European Economic Community , later the European Union . Fianna Fáil's fortunes began to falter in
3302-558: Is primarily cited as being on the centre or centre-right of the political spectrum . Fianna Fáil's ideology has been characterised both as conservative and ambiguous or malleable. The party has also been ideologically described as centrist , Christian-democratic , liberal-conservative , populist , conservative-liberal , socially conservative , liberal , national-liberal and national-conservative . In 2017, academics Eoin O'Malley and Sean McGraw wrote that Fianna Fáil "appears centrist, conservative, and attached to
3429-448: The 1932 Irish general election , newly elected Fianna Fáil TD Seán Moylan proclaimed that Fianna Fáil's win meant a victory of "the owners of the donkey and cart over the pony and trap class". The Fianna Fáil party of the 1930s has been described as an economically social democratic one that sought to create an economically independent state ( autarky ) via protectionist policies, based on its culturally nationalist thinking. During
3556-459: The 1973 local elections . The Social Democratic and Labour Party founded in 1970 took most of Irish Labour's voters and soon had its formal endorsement. The seventies will be socialist. At the next general election Labour must . . . make a major breakthrough in seats and votes. It must demonstrate convincingly that it has the capacity to become the Government of this country. Our present position
3683-509: The 1997 general election , held just weeks after spectacular electoral victories for the French Socialist Party and British Labour Party , as the first-ever choice between a government of the left and one of the right; but the party, as had often been the case following its participation in coalitions, lost support and lost half of its TDs. Labour's losses were so severe that while Fine Gael gained seats, it still came up well short of
3810-466: The 2002 general election . In July 2005, Sherlock announced that he would not be standing again in the next general election. His son Seán Sherlock , then a member of both Cork County Council and Mallow Town Council, was elected at the 2007 general election to succeed him. He died on 10 September 2007, after a short illness. Labour Party (Ireland) The Labour Party ( Irish : Páirtí an Lucht Oibre , lit. ' Party of
3937-607: The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group in the European Parliament after the 2009 European elections . In October 2009, it was reported that Fianna Fáil had irritated its new Liberal colleagues by failing to vote for the motion on press freedom in Italy (resulting in its defeat by a majority of one in the Parliament) and by trying to scupper their party colleagues' initiative for gay rights . In January 2010,
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4064-582: The February 2020 election , the party's first preference vote dropped to 4.4%, a record low. In the subsequent Seanad elections , Labour won 5 seats, which tied them with Sinn Féin as the third-largest party in the House. After the general election, Brendan Howlin announced his intention to step down as the leader of the Labour Party. On 3 April 2020 Alan Kelly was elected as party leader , edging out fellow Dáil colleague Aodhán Ó Ríordáin 55% to 45%. In July 2021,
4191-484: The Green Party , ending its longest period out of government since its formation. Under the agreement, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin served as Taoiseach for the first half of the parliamentary term. That same year a number of Fianna Fáil members were involved in the " Golfgate " scandal, an event that ultimately led to the resignation of Fianna Fáil deputy leader Dara Calleary . In July 2021 Fianna Fáil suffered what
4318-661: The Irish Free State from within. Fianna Fáil's platform of economic autarky had appeal among the farmers, working-class people and the poor, while alienating more affluent classes. It largely pre-empted voters of the aforementioned groups from the Labour Party (with its almost identical economic and social policy) following its entry into the Dáil in 1927. Fianna Fáil would go on to style themselves for several decades as "the real Labour Party." Cumann na nGaedheal sought to exploit
4445-474: The Oireachtas , which Sinn Féin refused to recognise. Since 1927, Fianna Fáil has been one of Ireland's two major parties, along with Fine Gael since 1933; both are seen as centre-right parties, to the right of the Labour Party and Sinn Féin. The party dominated Irish political life for most of the 20th century, and, since its foundation, either it or Fine Gael has led every government. Between 1932 and 2011, it
4572-501: The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) formerly the main Irish nationalist party in Northern Ireland, but now smaller than Sinn Féin . There had long been speculation about the eventual partnership for several years prior. This was initially met with a negative reaction from Seamus Mallon , former Deputy Leader of the SDLP, who stated he would be opposed to any such merger. Former leader of
4699-412: The leadership election , defeating Alex White by 78% to 22%. On her election, she said that the Labour Party "would focus on social repair, and govern more with the heart". Burton was the first woman to lead the Labour Party. In the 2016 general election , Labour achieved a poor result, receiving only 6.6% of first preference votes, and 7 seats. It was the worst general election in its history, with
4826-500: The 1970s and 1980s. In 1970 the Arms Crisis threatened to split the entire party in two when Fianna Fáil cabinet ministers Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed by Jack Lynch after being accused of seeking to provide arms to the newly emergent Provisional Irish Republican Army . Factional infighting over Northern Ireland, economics and the "moral issues" such as the legalization of divorce, abortion, and contraception plagued
4953-572: The 1989 Labour Party conference in Tralee a number of socialist and Trotskyist activists, organised around the Militant Tendency and their internal newspaper, were expelled. Amongst those expelled included future TDs Clare Daly , Ruth Coppinger and Mick Barry as well as Joe Higgins , who went on to found the Socialist Party in 1996. The early 1990s saw a sustained period of growth for
5080-402: The 1990s, Fianna Fáil was described as a conservative and nationalist party. The following are the terms of office as party leader and as Taoiseach: Charles Haughey Fianna Fáil was the most electorally successful party in 20th-century democratic Europe . Ógra Fianna Fáil serves as the party's official youth wing. On 17 September 2007, Fianna Fáil announced that the party would for
5207-500: The 2004 local elections, party leader Pat Rabbitte had endorsed a mutual transfer pact with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny . Rabbitte proposed an extension of this strategy, named "the Mullingar Accord", going into the 2007 general election. Although Rabbitte's strategy was opposed by some influential members such as Brendan Howlin it was supported by approximately 80% of Labour conference delegates. However, at 2007 general election
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5334-547: The 2007 election, the party's structure has significantly weakened. This was in part exacerbated by significant infighting between candidates in the run-up to the 2011 general election. The Irish Times estimated that half of its 3,000 cumainn were effectively moribund. This fraction rose in Dublin with the exception of Dublin West , the former seat of both Brian Lenihan Snr and Brian Lenihan Jnr . Inactive Defunct Fianna Fáil
5461-489: The Catholic Church or to take on a more militant labour approach. Despite efforts in the 1930s to sternly downplay the idea of Communist influence over the party, by the 1940s internal conflict and complementary allegations of communist infiltration caused a split in the Labour Party and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Tensions peaked in 1941 when party founder Jim Larkin and a number of his supporters were re-admitted to
5588-643: The Dublin membership of the ITGWU defected to the new union. O'Brien blocked the WUI from admission to the ITUC. Larkin was elected to Dáil Éireann at the September 1927 general election. However, the Labour Party prevented him from taking his seat as an undischarged bankrupt for losing a libel case against Labour leader Tom Johnson. In 1932, the Labour Party supported Éamon de Valera 's first Fianna Fáil government, which had proposed
5715-528: The Dublin region. At the 2009 European Parliament election held on the same day, the Labour Party increased its number of seats from one to three, retaining the seat of Proinsias De Rossa in the Dublin constituency , while gaining seats in the East constituency with Nessa Childers , and in the South constituency with Alan Kelly . It was the first time since the 1979 European Parliament Elections that Labour had equalled
5842-555: The Dáil and on a local level. Unlike many other Irish political parties, Labour did not arise as a faction of the original Sinn Féin party, although it merged with the Democratic Left in 1999, a party that traced its origins back to Sinn Féin . The party has served as a partner in coalition governments on eight occasions since its formation: seven times in coalition either with Fine Gael alone or with Fine Gael and other smaller parties, and once with Fianna Fáil . This gives Labour
5969-501: The Labour Party bore much of the blame for unpopular cutbacks in health and other public services . The nadir for the Labour party was the 1987 general election where it received only 6.4% of the vote. Its vote was increasingly threatened by the growth of the Marxist and more radical Workers' Party , particularly in Dublin. Fianna Fáil formed a minority government from 1987 to 1989 and then
6096-466: The Labour Party failed to increase its seat total and had a net loss of 1 seat, returning with 20 seats. Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party and independents did not have enough seats to form a government. Pat Rabbitte resisted calls to enter negotiations with Fianna Fáil on forming a government. Eventually, Fianna Fáil entered government with the Progressive Democrats and the Green Party with
6223-519: The Labour Party formed a coalition government with Fine Gael. The coalition partners lost the subsequent 1977 general election , and Corish resigned immediately after the defeat. In 1977, shortly after the election defeat, members grouped around the Liaison Committee for the Labour Left split from Labour and formed the short-lived Socialist Labour Party . From 1981 to 1982 and from 1982 to 1987,
6350-428: The Labour Party participated in coalition governments with Fine Gael . While serving in coalition Labour was successful in averting steep cuts in social welfare favoured by Fine Gael. Labour ministers also presided over a number of social policy initiatives such as a Family Income Supplement, a child care protection bill, a Maternity Benefit, a social employment scheme, the establishment of a Youth employment agency, and
6477-525: The Labour Party was the major opposition party in the Dáil . Labour attacked the lack of social reform by the Cumann na nGaedheal government. From 1927, a large number of the Labour Party's voters were pre-empted by Fianna Fáil, with its almost identical policies. Labour lacked Fianna Fáil's 'republican' image, which was a contributing factor to this loss. Larkin returned to Ireland in April 1923. He hoped to resume
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#17330942560446604-407: The Labour Party won a record 19.3% of the first preference votes, more than twice its share in the 1989 general election . The party's representation in the Dáil doubled to 33 seats in a momentum swing dubbed by the Irish national media as the "Spring Tide", who attributed much of the surge in the party's popularity to its leader Dick Spring . After a period of negotiations, the Labour Party formed
6731-513: The Labour Party's candidate, Michael D. Higgins was elected as the 9th (and current) President of Ireland . On the same day, Labour's Patrick Nulty won the Dublin West by-election , making the Labour Party the first government party in Ireland to win a by-election since 1982. Labour lost seven parliamentary members over the course of the 31st Dáil. On 15 November 2011 Willie Penrose resigned over
6858-476: The Labour Party. In 1990 former Labour Senator Mary Robinson became the first President of Ireland to have been proposed by the Labour Party. Although she had contested the election as an independent candidate, having resigned from the party over her opposition to the Anglo Irish Agreement , her victory was generally considered as reflecting very well on Labour, who had supported her campaign. Not only
6985-668: The Labour Party. The split and the anti-communist assault put Labour on the defensive. It launched its own inquiry into communist involvement, which resulted in the expulsion of six members. Alfred O'Rahilly in The Communist Front and the Attack on Irish Labour widened the assault to include the influence of British-based unions and communists in the ITUC. The National Labour Party juxtaposed itself against this by emphasising its commitment to Catholic Social Teaching. However, Labour also continued to emphasise its anti-communist credentials. It
7112-529: The Labour banner against Unionist candidates). It also refrained from contesting the 1921 elections . As a result, the party was left outside Dáil Éireann during the vital years of the independence struggle. The Anglo-Irish Treaty divided the Labour Party. Some members sided with the Irregulars in the Irish Civil War that quickly followed, however O'Brien and Johnson encouraged its members to support
7239-821: The National Labour TDs rejoined the Labour Party. From 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957, the Labour Party was the second-largest partner in the two inter-party governments (the largest being Fine Gael ). William Norton, the Labour Party leader, became Tánaiste on both occasions. During the First Inter-Party Government he served as Minister for Social Welfare , while during the Second Inter-Party Government he served as Minister for Industry and Commerce . (See first inter-party government and second inter-party government .) The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 and Ireland Act 1949 precipitated
7366-695: The SDLP Margaret Ritchie originally stated publicly that she opposed any merger, announcing to the Labour Party Conference that such a merger would not happen on her "watch". On 10 January 2019, Richie stated that she now supported a new partnership with Fianna Fáil. Both Fianna Fáil and the SDLP currently have shared policies on key areas including addressing the current political situation in Northern Ireland, improving public services in both jurisdictions of Ireland, such as healthcare, housing, education, and governmental reform, and bringing about
7493-487: The Treaty. In the 1922 general election the party won 17 seats, having fielded 18 candidates. Winning 21.4% of the first preference vote, this remains the party's highest ever share of the vote as of 2022. However, there were a number of strikes during the first year and a loss in support for the party. In the 1923 general election the Labour Party only won 14 seats. From 1922 until Fianna Fáil TDs took their seats in 1927,
7620-585: The Working People ' ) is a centre-left and social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland . Founded on 28 May 1912 in Clonmel , County Tipperary , by James Connolly , James Larkin , and William O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trades Union Congress . Labour continues to be the political arm of the Irish trade union and labour movement and seeks to represent workers' interests in
7747-400: The adoption of an equa treatment directive. Nevertheless, as noted by one study, “voters did not reward them. Instead they were disappointed by Labour's inability to implement more of its own policies (Marsh and Mitchell 1999:49).” In the later part of the second of these coalition terms, the country's poor economic and fiscal situation required strict curtailing of government spending , and
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#17330942560447874-600: The bill, with spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe arguing that the bill was unconstitutional. At their 2010 national conference Labour passed a motion calling for transgender rights and to legislate for a gender recognition act. Fianna F%C3%A1il Fianna Fáil ( / ˌ f iː ( ə ) n ə ˈ f ɔɪ l , - ˈ f ɔː l / FEE -(ə-)nə FOYL , - FAWL ; Irish: [ˌfʲiən̪ˠə ˈfˠaːlʲ] ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál "), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( Irish : Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach ),
8001-645: The border in September 2007 in northern universities, and established two 'Political Societies', the William Drennan Cumann in Queens University, Belfast, and the Watty Graham Cumann in UU Magee, Derry, which subsequently became official units of Fianna Fáil's youth wing, attaining full membership and voting rights, and attained official voting delegates at the 2012 Ard Fheis. On 23 February 2008, it
8128-399: The closure of an army barracks in his constituency. On 1 December 2011 Tommy Broughan lost the party whip after voting against the government in relation to the Bank Guarantee Scheme. On 6 December 2011 Patrick Nulty lost the party whip after voting against the VAT increase in the 2012 budget . On 26 September 2012 Róisín Shortall resigned as Minister of State for Primary Care and lost
8255-399: The controversial Oath of Allegiance was removed. It failed to pass at the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis , leading de Valera and a number of other members, including most of Sinn Féin's parliamentary talent, to split from Sinn Féin. His new party adopted its name on 2 April of the same year. While it was also opposed to the Treaty settlement , it rejected abstentionism, instead aiming to republicanise
8382-534: The course of 2024, several sitting Fianna Fáil councillors and former party members left to join the right-wing Independent Ireland party. Fianna Fáil uses a structure called a cumann system. The basic unit was the cumann (branch); these were grouped into comhairlí ceantair (district branches) and a comhairle dáil ceantair (constituency branch) in every constituency. The party claimed that in 2005 they had 50,000 registered names, but only an estimated 10,000–15,000 members were considered active. However, from
8509-425: The defeat of the trade unions in the Dublin Lockout of 1913 the labour movement was weakened; the emigration of James Larkin in 1914 and the execution of James Connolly following the Easter Rising in 1916 further damaged it. The Irish Citizen Army (ICA), formed during the 1913 Lockout, was informally the military wing of the Labour Movement. The ICA took part in the 1916 Rising. Councillor Richard O'Carroll ,
8636-460: The dominant figure in the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) and wielded considerable influence in the Labour Party. O'Brien also dominated the Irish Trades Union Congress . The Labour Party, led by Thomas Johnson from 1917, declined to contest the 1918 general election in order to allow the election to take the form of a plebiscite on Ireland's constitutional status (although some candidates did run in Belfast constituencies under
8763-432: The early 1990s onward, the cumann structure was weakened. Every cumann was entitled to three votes to selection conventions irrespective of its size; hence, a large number of cumainn had become in effect "paper cumainn ", the only use of which was to ensure an aspiring or sitting candidate got enough votes. Although this phenomenon was nothing new (the most famous example being Neil Blaney 's "Donegal Mafia"). Since
8890-504: The early 2000s, Fianna Fáil leader Bertie Ahern affirmed the party's catch-all stance by defining Fianna Fáil as a party that "looks out for the small ranking guy, the middle-ranking guy and assists the big guy". In 2023, party leader Micheál Martin described Fianna Fáil as "a progressive republican party which rejects the failed and destructive idea that you must conform to the traditional left/right ideology". Between 1989 and 2011, Fianna Fáil led coalition governments with parties of both
9017-577: The election of 2011. Its longest continuous period in office was its first, 15 years and 11 months (March 1932 – February 1948). Its longest single period out of office in the 20th century was four years and four months (March 1973 – July 1977). All of the party's leaders have served as Taoiseach . The party's most dominant era was the 41-year period between 1932 and 1973, when party leaders Éamon de Valera, Seán Lemass and Jack Lynch served as Taoiseach in an almost unbroken chain save for two three-year stints by John A. Costello . De Valera's reign
9144-532: The election. Cowen's premiership was sharply criticised in the media, with The Sunday Times describing Cowen's tenure as Taoiseach as "a dismal failure" and in 2011 the Irish Independent calling Cowen the "worst Taoiseach in the history of the State." Martin continued to lead Fianna Fáil past 2011; In the 2016 general election Martin's Fianna Fáil made a moderate recovery while Fine Gael retained control of
9271-471: The failure of the campaign, he endorsed the IRA's and Sinn Féin's move towards social activism and participating in politics. He worked at the local sugar factory for 18 years, and first held political office in 1967, when he was elected to Mallow Urban District Council as a Sinn Féin representative. During the split in Sinn Féin in 1970, Sherlock remained with the "Official" wing of the movement. In 1974, he
9398-498: The first time organise in Northern Ireland. The then Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern was asked to chair a committee on the matter: "In the period ahead Dermot Ahern will lead efforts to develop that strategy for carrying through this policy, examining timescales and structures. We will act gradually and strategically. We are under no illusions. It will not be easy. It will challenge us all. But I am confident we will succeed". The party embarked on its first ever recruitment drive north of
9525-410: The former leader Dick Spring. Members of Democratic Left in Northern Ireland were invited to join the Irish Labour Party but were not permitted to organise. Quinn resigned as leader in 2002 following the poor results for the Labour Party in the 2002 general election . Former Democratic Left TD Pat Rabbitte became the new leader, the first to be elected directly by the members of the party. Prior to
9652-424: The further unity and cooperation of the people on the island and arrangements for a future poll on Irish reunification . In September 2022, SDLP party leader Colum Eastwood announced the end of its partnership with Fianna Fáil, saying that the SDLP needed to move forward by "standing on its own two feet". Fianna Fáil joined the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party on 16 April 2009, and
9779-462: The government as a minority government , made possible by a confidence and supply agreement with Fianna Fáíl. In 2018 the party was divided internally over how the party would handle that year's referendum on the Eighth Amendment , the provision in the Irish constitution which forbade abortion , with a significant portion of both the parliamentary party and the ordinary membership in favour of
9906-600: The historic principles of European republican philosophy , namely liberty, equality and fraternity ". The party's main goal at its beginning was to reunite the North and the South. Fianna Fáil is supportive of the European Union . Although part of the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament, its liberal nature has been disputed. As of 2009, Fianna Fáil did not always support Renew's positions on civil liberties though
10033-462: The history of the Irish state. This loss was described as "historic" in its proportions and "unthinkable". The party sank from being the largest in the Dáil to the third-largest, losing 58 of its 78 seats. This broke 79 consecutive years of Fianna Fáil being the largest single party in the Dáil. That election took place with Micheál Martin as leader, as Cowen had resigned as party leader in January 2011, although retained his role as Taoiseach until
10160-479: The known world," due to its Catholic outlook in an Ireland where 95 percent of the population was Roman Catholic. It was known for its longstanding unwillingness (along with Ireland's other major parties) to support any policy that could be construed as sympathetic to secularism or communism. However, from the 1980s it was associated with advocacy for socially liberal policies, with former leader Eamon Gilmore stating in 2007 that "more than any other political movement, it
10287-437: The largest opposition party, and it entered a confidence and supply arrangement with a Fine Gael–led minority government . In 2020, after a number of months of political stalemate following the general election , Fianna Fáil agreed with Fine Gael and the Green Party to enter into an unprecedented coalition, with the leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rotating between the roles of Taoiseach and Tánaiste . Fianna Fáil
10414-556: The late 1960s, Labour began to embrace the ' New Left ,' and Corish presented his A New Republic document at the 1967 Labour national conference, alongside a famous speech which declared that "The seventies will be socialist", which later became a Labour campaign slogan. Corish's new socialist direction for Labour was generally well-received internally; the membership's faith in Corish had already been bolstered by encouraging election results in 1965 and 1967 . Although Labour's share of
10541-420: The leadership of Seán Lemass in the 1960s, Fianna Fáil began to utilise some corporatist policies (embracing the concept of ' social partnership '), taking some influence from Catholic social teaching . It was also during Lemass' time that the party shifted heavily away from autarkic thinking and towards a firm belief in free trade and foreign direct investment in Ireland. In 1967, Jack Lynch described
10668-482: The leadership role in the ITGWU which he had previously left, but O'Brien resisted him. Larkin also created a pro-communist party called the Irish Worker League . O'Brien regarded Larkin as a "loose cannon." Following a failed challenge to O'Brien's leadership and association with communist militancy, Larkin was expelled from the ITGWU and created the WUI, a communist alternative to the ITGWU, in 1924. Two-thirds of
10795-408: The left and the right. Fianna Fáil's platform contains a number of enduring commitments: to Irish unity ; to the promotion and protection of the Irish language ; and to maintaining Ireland's tradition of military neutrality . The party's name and logo incorporates the words 'The Republican Party'. According to Fianna Fáil, "Republican here stands both for the unity of the island and a commitment to
10922-436: The legalisation of civil partnerships and adoption for same-sex couples. The Fianna Fáil government amended the bill to delay it for six months time, however the Dáil was dissolved for the 2007 Irish general election before this could happen. Labour again brought this bill before the Dáil in 2007 but it was voted down by the government, with the Green Party , who had formerly supported gay marriage, also voting in opposition to
11049-551: The lower and middle classes. However, Labour later became associated with increasing secularism and championing socially liberal causes in relation to contraception, divorce, LGBT rights and abortion. Its support base also shifted greatly towards postmaterialists . The Labour Party also changed its position from Euroscepticism in 1972 to pro-Europeanism and ideological integration with European social democratic parties. The Labour Party has been involved in various campaigns for LGBT rights and put forward many bills. The party
11176-534: The morning mist and disappears again. We're the oldest party in the state". In the Irish local elections and the European Parliament election of May 2019, despite a decreased vote share by 1.4%, Labour increased their seat count on local authorities to 57, an increase of six. However, the party failed to win a European seat, leaving the S&;D Group unrepresented by an Irish MEP for the first time since 1984. At
11303-419: The most significant split in the party's history when a large portion of the membership walked out to create the Progressive Democrats in 1985, under the leadership of Haughey archrival Desmond O'Malley . Haughey was forced to resign as Taoiseach and party leader in 1992 following revelations about his role in a phone tapping scandal . Although the two parties had seemed poised to be bitter enemies owing to
11430-545: The move was necessary to broaden the party's electoral appeal beyond a trade union constituency. The party was socially conservative compared to similar European parties, and its leaders from 1932 to 1977 ( William Norton and his successor Brendan Corish ) were members of the Catholic fraternal organisation the Knights of Saint Columbanus . The early to mid-20th century marked constant battles within Labour about whether to appease
11557-400: The notion that Fianna Fáil was a party in thrall to communists. During the 1932 general election campaign, Cumann na nGaedheal declared in a newspaper advert that "the gunmen and Communists are voting for Fianna Fáil today – vote for the Government party." However, Fianna Fáil won the election, forming its first government on 9 March 1932. It was in power for 61 of the 79 years between then and
11684-599: The number of seats held in Europe by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. On 11 June 2010, a poll by MRBI was published in The Irish Times which, for the first time in the history of the state, showed the Labour Party as the most popular, at 32%, ahead of Fine Gael at 28% and Fianna Fáil at 17%. Eamon Gilmore's approval ratings were also the highest of any Dáil leader, standing at 46%. At the 2011 general election , Labour received 19.5% of first preference votes, and 37 seats. It
11811-604: The party and subsequently accused of "taking over" Labour branches in Dublin. In response William X. O'Brien left with six TDs in 1944, founding the National Labour Party , whose leader was James Everett . O'Brien also withdrew the ITGWU from the Irish Trades Unions Congress and set up his own congress. The split damaged the Labour movement in the 1944 general election . The ITGWU attacked "Larkinite and Communist Party elements" which it claimed had taken over
11938-419: The party as "left of centre" while suggesting it was to the left of Fine Gael and Labour. However, during the 1969 Irish general election , the party ran red scare tactics against Labour after it began using the slogan "the seventies will be socialist!". As Fine Gael became more and more socially liberal in the 1970s under Garret FitzGerald , the party reacted by embracing social conservatism and populism. In
12065-508: The party did legalize same-sex civil partnerships in 2010. In 2014, Fianna Fáil expelled MEP Brian Crowley for joining the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists Group , with the party stating that "the ideas and principles of the ECR group and its component parties are totally incompatible with the core principles of Fianna Fáil". In recent years, Fianna Fáil has increasingly been seen as divided on social issues, and as moving towards
12192-487: The party gained a seventh TD in the Dáil after Ivana Bacik won the 2021 Dublin Bay South by-election . In March 2022, Kelly resigned suddenly as leader, less than two years into the role and having not lead the party into an election. He did so upon being informed by Sean Sherlock and Duncan Smith , both of whom had supported him in his leadership bid, along with Mark Wall, that the parliamentary party had lost "collective confidence" in his leadership. The plan to remove him
12319-404: The party in this era and grew particularly intense when Charles Haughey later became party leader. Under Haughey, Fianna Fáil lost both the 1981 general election and November 1982 general election to Garret FitzGerald 's Fine Gael during a particularly chaotic time in Ireland's political and economic history. Numerous failed internal attempts to oust Haughey as leader of the party culminated in
12446-627: The party whip after conflict with the Minister for Health James Reilly . On 13 December 2012 Colm Keaveney lost the party whip after voting against the cut to the respite care grant in the 2013 budget . Senator James Heffernan lost the party whip in December 2012 after voting against the government on the Social Welfare Bill. MEP Nessa Childers resigned from the parliamentary party on 5 April 2013, saying that she "no longer want[ed] to support
12573-659: The party's Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sat in the ALDE Group during the 7th European Parliament term from June 2009 to 1 July 2014. The party is a full member of the Liberal International . Prior to this, the party was part of the Eurosceptic Union for Europe of the Nations parliamentary group between 1999 and 2009. Party headquarters, over the objections of some MEPs, had made several attempts to sever
12700-621: The party's links to the European right, including an aborted 2004 agreement to join the European Liberal Democrat and Reform (ELDR) Party, with whom it already sat in the Council of Europe under the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) banner. On 27 February 2009, Taoiseach Brian Cowen announced that Fianna Fáil proposed to join the ELDR Party and intended to sit with them in
12827-411: The party's slow development towards all-Ireland politics, Mr. Cowen observed: "We have a very open and pragmatic approach. We are a constitutional republican party and we make no secret of the aspirations on which this party was founded. It has always been very clear in our mind what it is we are seeking to achieve, that is to reconcile this country and not being prisoners of our past history. To be part of
12954-689: The party's vote further dropping in Dublin and a two candidate strategy in the Midlands North West constituency, which backfired, resulting in sitting MEP Pat "the Cope" Gallagher losing his seat. On 23 June 2014, returning MEP Brian Crowley announced that he intended to sit with the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) rather than the ALDE group during the upcoming 8th term of the European parliament. The following day on 24 June 2014 Crowley had
13081-413: The party, which was still in government under a new leader and Taoiseach Brian Cowen , was held responsible for the effects of the post-2008 Irish economic downturn . The party's popularity crashed: an opinion poll on 27 February 2009 indicated that only 10% of voters were satisfied with the Government's performance. In the 2011 general election , it suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in
13208-459: The party. Mr. McHugh confirmed that although he had joined the party, he would continue to sit as an independent MLA. In June 2010, Fianna Fáil opened its first official office in Northern Ireland, in Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The then Taoiseach Brian Cowen officially opened the office, accompanied by Ministers Éamon Ó Cuív and Dermot Ahern and Deputies Rory O’Hanlon and Margaret Conlon. Discussing
13335-427: The party; although initially tempering by this describing these policies as "a form of Christian socialism ", he would later feel comfortable enough to drop the "Christian" prefix. In contrast to his predecessors, Corish adopted an anti-coalition stance. He attempted to give his fractious, divided party a coherent national identity, lurched it to the left and insisted Labour was the natural party of social justice . In
13462-530: The peace process in Northern Ireland, as well the economic upswing caused by the Celtic Tiger which saw Ireland's economy boom during the 2000s. However, this momentum came to a sharp and sudden halt following two events. Firstly, Ahern was forced to resign as Taoiseach and left the party in 2008 following revelations made in the Mahon Tribunal that Ahern had accepted money from property developers. Secondly,
13589-561: The personal conflicts between the memberships, from 1989 onwards Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats served repeatedly in coalition governments together, helping to stabilise Fianna Fáil. In 1994 Fianna Fáil came under the new leadership of Haughey protégé Bertie Ahern , who also became Taoiseach in 1997. Under Ahern, Fianna Fáil was able to claim credit for helping to broker the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 which began
13716-460: The provision of goods and services on grounds listed including sexual orientation. At the 2002 general election , only the manifestos of the Green Party and Labour explicitly referred to the rights of same-sex couples. In 2003, Labour LGBT was founded. This was the first time a political party in Ireland had formed an LGBT wing. In December 2006, Labour TD Brendan Howlin tabled a private member's civil unions bill in Dáil Éireann , proposing
13843-546: The same time period, the emergence of the Troubles and the Arms Crisis of 1971 tested the party's nationalism, but despite these events, Fianna Fáil maintained their moderate culturally nationalist stance. In 1983, R. Ken Carty wrote of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael that they were "heterogeneous in their bases of support, relatively undifferentiated in terms of policy or programme, and remarkably stable in their support levels". In
13970-422: The state", but that there was "deep ambiguity concerning what type of party Fianna Fáil really is". In the modern era, Fianna Fáil is seen as a typical catch-all party and has defined itself as such. It has presented itself as a " broad church " and attracted support from across disparate social classes . In the 1980s, Brian Lenihan Snr declared "there are no isms or [ide]ologies in my party"; further, in
14097-438: The support it needed to keep Bruton in office. This, combined with a poor showing by Labour Party candidate Adi Roche in the subsequent election for President of Ireland , led to Spring's resignation as party leader. In 1997 Ruairi Quinn became the new Labour Party leader. Following negotiations in 1999, the Labour Party merged with Democratic Left , keeping the name of the larger partner. This had been previously opposed by
14224-488: The support of independents. In the aftermath, Rabbitte resigned as Labour Party leader in late August, taking responsibility for the general election result. In his wake Eamon Gilmore was elected, unopposed, as the new Labour leader. Following the onset of the post-2008 Irish economic downturn , Labour's political fortunes began to alter rapidly. At the local elections of 5 June 2009, the Labour Party added 31 new councillors to their tally and performed particularly well in
14351-446: The vote improved to 17% in the 1969 Irish general election , the best in 50 years, the party only won 17 seats - 5 fewer than in the 1965 general election. The result dented Corish's confidence and caused him to reconsider his anti-coalition stance. Labour promoted a Eurosceptic outlook in the 1961 general election, and in 1972, the party campaigned against membership of the European Economic Community (EEC). Between 1973 and 1977,
14478-462: Was Labour and its allies which drove the modernisation of the Irish state." In the past Labour has been referred to, derisively, as "the political wing of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul ." That Labour was influenced by Catholicism is not unusual in the Irish context (likewise, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were also products of a predominantly Catholic society). Labour's ethos and often its language
14605-627: Was announced that a former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) councillor, Colonel Harvey Bicker , had joined Fianna Fáil. Bertie Ahern announced on 7 December 2007 that Fianna Fáil had been registered in Northern Ireland by the UK Electoral Commission . The party's Ard Fheis in 2009 unanimously passed a motion to organise in Northern Ireland by establishing forums, rather than cumainn, in each of its six counties. In December 2009, Fianna Fáil secured its first Northern Ireland Assembly MLA when Gerry McHugh , an independent MLA, announced he had joined
14732-426: Was confirmed as the new leader of the party unopposed at a conference in Dublin. At the 2024 European Parliament election , Aodhán Ó Ríordáin was elected in the Dublin constituency, the first MEP elected for the party since 2009. The Labour Party holds a pro-European stance and is a party of the centre-left which has been described as a social democratic party but is referred to in its constitution as
14859-477: Was devised by the parliamentary party in the home of Senator Marie Sherlock , in the absence of Kelly. An internal report reportedly showed that every one of the party's nationally elected representatives were at risk of losing their seats in the next general election. Kelly became emotional as he announced his resignation, stating that the decision by the parliamentary party was a "surprise" to him, but that he accepted it immediately. On 24 March 2022 Ivana Bacik
14986-508: Was elected to Cork County Council . He served as Chairperson of Mallow UDC. He held both seats until the ending of the dual mandate in 2003. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann at the 1981 general election as a Sinn Féin - The Workers' Party TD. Sherlock was re-elected at the February 1982 general election , but lost his seat at the November 1982 general election . Despite the loss of his seat, he continued to be active in local politics. He
15113-436: Was elected to the Dáil again at the 1987 and 1989 general elections, but lost his seat at the 1992 general election . Joining the new Democratic Left party, he was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1993 (as part of an election pact with the Progressive Democrats ), serving in the upper house until 1997. He failed to be elected to the Dáil again at the 1997 general election , but eventually regained his seat after ten years at
15240-576: Was in government in 1993 when homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland, and it was President Mary Robinson, herself a longstanding LGBT advocate, who signed the bill into law. Mervyn Taylor published the Employment Equality Bill in 1996, which was enacted in 1998, outlawing discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sexual orientation. Taylor also published the Equal Status Bill in 1997, enacted in 2000, outlawing discrimination in
15367-423: Was it the first time a woman held the office but it was the first time, apart from Douglas Hyde , that a non- Fianna Fáil candidate was elected. It was also in 1990 that Limerick East TD Jim Kemmy 's Democratic Socialist Party merged into the Labour Party, and in 1992 Sligo–Leitrim TD Declan Bree 's Independent Socialist Party also followed suit and joined the Labour Party. At the 1992 general election
15494-404: Was only after Larkin's death in 1947 that an attempt at unity could be made. After the 1948 general election National Labour had five TDs – Everett, Dan Spring , James Pattison , James Hickey and John O'Leary . National Labour and Labour (with 14 TDs) both entered the First Inter-Party Government, with the leader of National Labour becoming Minister for Posts and Telegraphs . In 1950,
15621-464: Was profoundly Christian. Following the official separation of the Irish Labour Party and Irish Trade Union Congress into two different organisations in 1930, early drafts of Labour's constitution referred to the responsibilities of the 'Christian state', but these had all been removed by the time the constitution was put before the new party's conference for approval. However, the Free State's commitment to
15748-646: Was strongest in Warrenpoint and Newry UDCs, winning control of the former in 1949 and the latter in 1958 , retaining seats in both until their 1973 abolition . Tommy Markey was expelled from the party in 1964 for taking a salute as Newry council chair from the Irish Guards . Party branches still existed in Warrenpoint and Newry as late as 1982, though candidates were heavily defeated in Newry and Mourne District Council at
15875-437: Was the largest party in Dáil Éireann , but latterly with a decline in its vote share; from 1989 onwards, its periods of government were in coalition with parties of either the left or the right. Fianna Fáil's vote collapsed in the 2011 general election ; it emerged in third place, in what was widely seen as a political realignment in the wake of the post-2008 Irish economic downturn . By 2016, it had recovered enough to become
16002-458: Was the most seats the Labour party had ever won in the Dáil, and their highest percentage of first-preference-votes since the Spring Tide of 1992. On 9 March 2011, it became the junior partner in a coalition government with Fine Gael for the period of the 31st Dáil . Eamon Gilmore was appointed as Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade . In October 2011
16129-503: Was won by Murtagh Morgan in 1953 and Paddy Devlin in 1962 , but Devlin in 1964 left for the Republican Labour Party and Irish Labour contested no further Westminster or Stormont elections. In the 1949 local elections it won 7 seats on Belfast City Council , 6 (unopposed) on Armagh urban district council (UDC) and one on Dungannon UDC. In Derry , the party collapsed when Stephen McGonagle left after 1952. It
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