Irish Left Archive

#OnThisDay 24th of November 1982, Nan Joyce became the first Traveller to stand in an Irish election.

Joyce was co-chairperson of the Committee for the Rights of Travellers, which had been formed earlier that year. Among her policies was a call for full civil and human rights for all Travellers as full Irish citizens and a Minister to co-ordinate Traveller welfare provision in the country.

You can read an account of the Committee and the background to its formation in this article: https://www.leftarchive.ie/article/5703/

#IrishTravellers #IrishElections

When did the practice of leaving a "sorry I missed you" note at houses when out canvassing for election start?

This article from Labour in 1967 seems to imply it was a novel idea then:

"[A] most thorough canvass was made—down even to leaving a special note to anyone who was not at home when his house was visited."

The text is from the article "Labour Breakthrough in Sligo—First Ever Seat", in their eponymous paper, Labour, available here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/view/292/?page=8

#IrishElections #IrishPolitics #Canvassing #IrishLeftArchive

"The votes are counted"

Starry Plough, magazine of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP), on the NI Assembly election which took place #OnThisDay 7th March 2007.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/view/1456/?page=13

#IrishLeftArchive #IrishRepublicanSocialistParty #IRSP #NIAssembly #IrishElections #IrishPolitics #OTD