Workers' Party of Ireland
|
The Workers' Party
Páirtí na nOibrithe |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| President | Michael Donnelly |
| General Secretary | John Lowry |
| Founded | 1905 (split in 1970, current name in 1982) |
| Headquarters | 24a/25 Hill Street, Dublin 1, Ireland |
| Ideology |
Marxism–Leninism Communism Irish republicanism |
| Political position | Far-left |
| European affiliation | Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties |
| International affiliation |
International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties International Communist Seminar |
| Colours | Red, green |
| Local government in the Republic of Ireland |
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| Website | |
| www.workersparty.ie | |
The Workers' Party (Irish: Páirtí na nOibrithe), originally known as Official Sinn Féin, is a Marxist–Leninist political party active throughout Ireland. The party originated out of Sinn Féin (which was founded in 1905) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA), as the split took place with the Provisionals within the republican movement at the onset of the Troubles in 1969–70. The Officials' leaders at the time of the Provisionals leaving the Republican Movement were Cathal Goulding and Tomás Mac Giolla.
The party name was changed to Sinn Féin the Workers' Party in 1977 and then to the Workers' Party in 1982. Throughout its history, the party has been closely associated with the Official Irish Republican Army. It supported the Soviet Union while that entity existed. Notable derivative organisations include the Irish Republican Socialist Party and the Democratic Left.
In the early to mid-1970s, Official Sinn Féin was sometimes called Sinn Féin (Gardiner Place) to distinguish it from the rival offshoot Provisional Sinn Féin, or Sinn Féin (Kevin Street). Gardiner Place had symbolic power as the headquarters of Sinn Féin for decades before the 1970 split. This sobriquet died out in the mid-1970s.
At its Ardfheis in January 1977, the Officials renamed themselves Sinn Féin - The Workers Party. Their first seats in Dáil Éireann were won under this new name. In 1979, a motion at the Ardfheis to remove the Sinn Féin prefix from the party name was narrowly defeated. The change finally came about three years later.
In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin was organised under the name Republican Clubs to avoid a ban on Sinn Féin candidates, introduced in 1964 under Northern Ireland's Emergency Powers Act), and the Officials continued to use this name after 1970. The party later used the name The Workers' Party Republican Clubs. In 1982, both the northern and southern sections of the party became The Workers' Party. The Workers' Party is sometimes referred to as the "Sticks" or "Stickies" because in the 1970s it used adhesive stickers for the Easter Lily emblem in its 1916 commemorations, whereas Provisional Sinn Féin used a pin for theirs.
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