Back Showing posts tagged #history

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

Two Irish general elections occurred , 6th June, in 1977 and 1997.

Here' the Socialist Party of Ireland's (SPI) Advance magazine profiling their candidate Eamonn O'Brien in 1977. The SPI went on to merge with the Democratic Socialist Party in the early 1980s, which ultimately merged with Labour in 1990. (It is not related to the current Socialist Party).

And from 1997, an analysis from Labour's Emmet Stagg in TILT of Labour's losses in that election (the party lost 16 TDs, going from 32 to 17).

https://www.leftarchive.ie/calendar/on-this-day/06/06/

On This Day, 6th June

Irish Left Archive

Front cover of Advance, No. 25, from the Socialist Party of Ireland, with the headline: General Election 1977; O Brien, Eamonn: Your Socialist Party TD for Ballymun and North County Dublin
Extracts from an article from Labour's TILT magazine headlined: No Disaster: Emmet Stagg Puts '92/'97 in Context
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

5th June 1982: March For Survival

Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament marched from Parnell Square to Stephen's Green in Dublin, calling for pressure on the Irish government's position on disarmament and Irish neutrality.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/2124/

March for Survival (1982) — Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

New document:

"25 Years On – We Shall Overcome"

An Phoblacht Republican News marks the 25th anniversary of the deployment of British troops in the North in 1969.

From Déardaoin, 11 Lúnasa / Thursday, 11 August 1994, the newspaper of Sinn Féin.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/6492/

An Phoblacht Republican News, Iml. 16, Uimh. 32 (1994) — Sinn Féin

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

1st June 1979, a group of protestors began an occupation of the development at Wood Quay, as part of the campaign to preserve the historical mediaeval site from destruction. Dubbed “Operation Sitric”, after Sigtrygg Silkbeard, a Hiberno-Norse King of Dublin, the occupation lasted for three weeks.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/collection/2093/

Document Collection: Wood Quay Protests

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

We've just added lots of new entries to our bibliography of Irish Left periodicals, which you can find here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/information/publications-bibliography.

Thanks to Ciarán Crossey for his help! If you are aware of any periodicals we're missing, please let us know.

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

🆕 Website update:

🗓️ We've added a calendar showing events occurring, demonstrations from the Snapshots of Political Action project, and documents published for each day.

Hopefully it's a useful way of finding interesting bits of left history in our database.

It's far from full, so if you come across an interesting event that's relevant or appears in materials in our collection, do please let us know and we'll add it!

https://www.leftarchive.ie/calendar/

Calendar of Events

Irish Left Archive

A screenshot of a calendar for May from the Irish Left Archive website, with icons on several dates indicating historical events, demonstrations, documents published and subject headings occurring on that date in history.
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

"James Connolly and the struggle for Marxism in Ireland"

A 1980 article from the Workers' Revolutionary Party journal, Labour Review.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/400/

James Connolly and the struggle for Marxism in Ireland (1980) — Workers Revolutionary Party

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

"Mass-Line in Education -- Revolutionary v Reactionary Line"

Published 2nd February 1968, Words and Comment, No. 3, from the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist).

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/1272/

Words and Comment, No. 3 (1968) — The Internationalists

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

31st January 1971, the Cork Communist Organisation (CCO) resigned from the Irish Communist Organisation (ICO) in response to their position on Republicanism. It later became the Cork Workers Club (CWC).

The CCO was associated with Jim Lane, and those who had formerly been involved in Irish Revolutionary Forces and Saor Éire. Their position is outlined in their document On the Resignation of the Cork Branch of the Irish Communist Organisation.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/273/

The ICO was moving towards the "two nations theory" view, with which their later formation, B&ICO was known. The CCO and later CWC were Maoist-influenced.

On the Resignation of the Cork Branch of the Irish Communist Organisation (1972) — Cork Communist Organisation

Irish Left Archive

Scanned text reading: After an existence of 11 months the Cork Branch of the ICO on 31 January, 1971 seceded from the Irish Communist Organisation (ICO) and reconstituted itself as the Cork Communist Organisation (CCO). The decision to secede from the ICO was unanimous and followed several weeks discussion by the members of the Cork Branch. The following pamphlet outlines the circumstances which led to the split. The ICO statement on the split, ‘Nationalist Disruption of the Communist Movement’ (Irish Communist, May 1971) is also commented on in Part One, as are their statements ; ‘Nationalist Slander’ (Communist Comment, 21 August, 1971) and ‘Nationalist Disruption 2’ (Irish Communist, October 1971) in Part Two.
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

To mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday last year, we spoke to Dr. Brian Hanley about the reaction in the Republic of Ireland to the events in Derry on 30th January 1972, when British soldiers opened fire on civil rights marchers, killing 14 and injuring several others. The reaction in the South saw walkouts and strikes, a national day of mourning, the burning of the British embassy in Dublin, and mass protests around the country.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/podcast/35-bloody-sunday-reactions-in-the-republic-of-ireland/

Episode 35: Bloody Sunday: Reactions in the Republic of Ireland, with Brian Hanley — Irish Left Archive Podcast

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

30th January 1972, Bloody Sunday in Derry -- British soldiers shot 26 people during a civil rights march in Derry, resulting in 14 deaths.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/on-this-day/01/30/#event-4800

On This Day, 30th January

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

New document:

"19 Arrests - Campaign Will Not Be Intimidated!"

Armagh/H-Block News, Vol. 1, No. 5, 19th September 1981, from the Armagh/H-Block Action Group.

Active during the 1980/1 Hunger Strikes, the group was associated with the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist).

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/6288/

Armagh/H-Block News, Vol. 1, No. 5 (1981) — Armagh/H-Block Action Group

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

Our index of left political organisations includes 377 parties, formations and campaign groups.

This includes Irish left orgs. from throughout the 20th Century, as well as groups from outside Ireland who have produced documents on Ireland.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/browse/organisations/

Index of Organisations in the Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

Our timeline of the Irish left traces the history of Irish left parties and groups throughout the 20th Century and up to the contemporary.

The timeline is always evolving -- if you are aware of a group that should be included or have any corrections, please let us know!

https://www.leftarchive.ie/page/timeline-of-the-irish-left/

Timeline of the Irish Left

Irish Left Archive

A section of the timeline of the Irish left diagram, representing organisations over time with lines on the horizontal axis and indicating merges and splits.
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

"Landlord should be "tarred and feathered""

A 1975 article from The Irish People on poor housing conditions in Carlow.

The Irish People was the newspaper of Official Sinn Féin and then The Workers' Party, from the 1970s to 90s.

Full issue here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/2967/

The Irish People, Vol. 3, No. 25 (1975) — Sinn Féin [Official]

Irish Left Archive

Landlord should be "tarred and feathered"

He should be "tarred and feathered" Carlow Urban Councillor, Mr. Michael Byrne, said of one Carlow landlord when he finished inspecting a flat which was being rented out to a young married couple in the town. As a lesser deterrent Carlow Urban Council has decided to introduce bye-laws covering the conditions of rented accommodation in the town and containing penalties for noncompliance, including possible closure. The decision in principle was taken by the Council on 26 August and the September meeting is to discuss the enactment of bye-laws more fully.

The motion to introduce housing bye-laws was proposed by Counclllor Byrne who told colleagues on the Council that conditions in some of the flats rented by one particular landlord had made him "literally sick" and were not fit for a dog.
Such conditions were a serious indictment of public representatives, he said.


A tour by Urban Councillors around flats in the town brought to light shocking cases of extortionate rents for insanitary, often rat-infested, accommodation.

In one case, a group of flats, the sewer (open) was covered over by a flagstone.

Couples were living in danger of contracting disease carried by rat infestation. One child had dermatitis which could not be cured while living in its present home and another had been in hospital with gastro-enteritis on a number of occasions. Yet again, children had had to be hustled out of a building to avoid the rats in a flat which also used to chew their clothing.

One flat was so bad that the tenants were recommended for emergency rehousing; in another
the tenants' ESB bill, averaging £2-£3, had been upped to £21 odd because, they were told, the ground rent was included!

Under the 1966 Housing Act local authorities are empowered to introduce bye-laws setting out minimum standards of ventilation, lighting, heating, sanitary facilities, food storage etc. In rented accommodation. Councils, however, are not allowed to regulate the rents charged for flats.
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

"Dig deep for the miners"

From the 1984-85 British miners' strike.

From our collection of documents from support work in Dublin for the striking miners' families. https://www.leftarchive.ie/collection/1147/

Document Collection: British Miners' Strike 1984/85

Irish Left Archive

A circular yellow sticker with black text in the centre reading: Dig Deep for the Miners. Red text around the perimeter reads: National Union of Mineworkers.
Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

"The Path to Marriage Equality in Gay Community News"

Written on the first anniversary of the marriage equality referendum, this series of articles traces same-sex marriage through the pages of Gay Community News, starting in the early 1990s (when homosexuality was still criminalised in Ireland).

https://www.leftarchive.ie/article/1989/

The Path to Marriage Equality in GCN: Part 1

Irish Left Archive

Irish Left Archive's avatar
@ila@leftarchive.ie

Traveller Activism in the 1980s: The Committee for the Rights of Travellers and Mincéir Misli

An article on Traveller activism in response to anti-Traveller protests and state mistreatment. The Committee ran the first Traveller candidate for the Dáil, Nan Joyce, in 1982.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/article/5703/

Image: A screenshot from an RTÉ Archives video.

Traveller Activism in the 1980s: The Committee for the Rights of Travellers and Mincéir Misli

Irish Left Archive

A still image from a video of a protest march in Dublin. In the foreground, Nan Joyce and her children are sitting in a horse-led cart. She's holding a sign (not legible in the image). Other marchers walk behind her with a large banner (partially legible: Commitee For...).