National League of the North

Not to be confused with National League North.

Defunct Irish nationalist organisation

The National League of the North (NLN) was an Irish nationalist organisation active in Northern Ireland.

The group was founded in May 1928 on the basis of a radical programme for the "National Unification of Ireland". It was in part an attempt to bring together the supporters of Joe Devlin and Cahir Healy, who were the leading figures in the Nationalist Party.[1]

At the 1933 Northern Ireland general election, in addition to supporting most Nationalist Party candidates, the group stood Gerry Lennon in South Armagh. He was unsuccessful, but did beat the official Nationalist. The League had become inactive by the mid-1930s.[1]

In 1936, Paddy Maxwell founded the Irish Union Association (IUA), aiming to revive the NLN platform. Although it gained the support of most Nationalist Party Members of Parliament, T. J. Campbell and Richard Byrne did not join. The group failed to make an impact, and by early 1937, Healy was suggesting that the group should be allowed to fade away. In October, Maxwell proposed reinvigorating the League by holding an Ard Fheis, but Healy opposed this, and the group was instead allowed to become moribund.[1]

In 1938, the IUA was superseded when Éamon de Valera founded an Anti-Partition League. The group organised a speaker tour of Britain with speakers from Fianna Fáil and the Nationalist Party, including Healy and Anthony Mulvey. However, the Irish Republican Army started their Sabotage Campaign, which hardened British attitudes against the cause of Irish unification, and the project was dropped with the start of World War II.[1]

After the disbanding of the IUA, there was no rank-and-file nationalist group in Northern Ireland until the launch of the Irish Anti-Partition League in 1945.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Brendan Lynn, Holding the Ground: The Nationalist Party in Northern Ireland, 1945 - 72 (1997), ISBN 1-85521-980-8

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Defunct political parties in Ireland

to 1918|

| Home Rule/Nationalist|

* All-for-Ireland League
* Catholic Union
* Healyite Nationalist
* Home Government Association
* Home Rule League
* Independent Irish Party
* Irish National Federation
* Irish National League
* Irish Parliamentary Party
* Irish Patriot Party
* Irish Reform Association
* Irish Socialist Republican Party
* Repeal Association
* United Irish League

|

Unionist|

* Irish Conservative Party
* Irish Liberal Party
* Irish Loyal and Patriotic Union
* Irish Metropolitan Conservative Society
* Irish Unionist Alliance

Pan-UK parties|

* Radicals
* Tories
* Whigs

post 1918|

| Communist and far-left|

* British and Irish Communist Organisation
* Communist Organisation in the British Isles
* Communist Party of Ireland (1933)
* Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist–Leninist)
* Independent Socialist Party
* Irish Worker League
* Irish Workers Group
* Irish Workers' Group (1976)
* Irish Workers' Party (1926)
* Irish Workers' Party (1948)
* League of Communist Republicans
* League for a Workers' Republic
* Vanguard Movement
* People's Democracy
* Republican Congress
* Republican Socialist Collective
* Revolutionary Workers' Groups
* Saor Éire
* Socialist Party of Ireland (1904)
* Socialist Party of Ireland (1971)
* World Socialist Party

|

Socialist and left-wing|

* Cork Socialist Party
* Democratic Left
* Democratic Socialist Party
* National Labour Party
* National Progressive Democrats
* Sligo–Leitrim Independent Socialist Organisation
* Socialist Labour Party
* United Left
* United Left Alliance

Republican and nationalist|

* All Ireland Anti-Partition League
* Anti H-Block
* Aontacht Éireann
* Clann Éireann
* Clann na Poblachta
* Cumann na Poblachta
* Cumann Poblachta na hÉireann
* Independent Fianna Fáil
* Irish Anti-Partition League
* Irish Independence Party
* National Party (1924)
* Northern Council for Unity

Liberal|

* Community Democrats of Ireland
* Liberal Party of Ireland
* Progressive Democrats
* Women's Social and Progressive League

Agrarian|

* Clann na Talmhan
* Farmers' Party
* National Democratic Party

Conservative and right-wing|

* Business and Professional Group
* Cork Civic Party
* Cumann na nGaedheal
* Libertas
* National Centre Party
* National League Party
* Social Credit Party

Christian right|

* Catholic Democrats
* Christian Centrist Party
* Christian Democrat Party of Ireland
* Christian Solidarity Party
* Muintir na hÉireann
* Poblacht Chríostúil

Unionist|

* Donegal Progressive Party
* Irish Centre Party
* Irish Dominion League
* Unionist Anti-Partition League

Far-right|

* Ailtirí na hAiséirghe
* Córas na Poblachta
* Identity Ireland
* Immigration Control Platform
* Irish Monetary Reform Association
* Lia Fáil
* National Corporate Party
* National Socialist Irish Workers Party

Other|

* Fathers Rights-Responsibility Party
* Independent Health Alliance
* Irish Democratic Party
* Irish Monarchist Society
* Natural Law Party
* New Vision

* Politics of the Republic of Ireland
* Current political parties in the Republic of Ireland
* Elections in the Republic of Ireland
* List of political parties by country

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Defunct political parties of Northern Ireland

Unionist / Loyalist|

* Commonwealth Labour Party
* Independent Unionist Association
* NI21
* Northern Ireland Unionist Party
* Protestant Unionist Party
* UK Unionist Party
* Ulster Constitution Party
* Ulster Democratic Party
* Ulster Popular Unionist Party
* Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
* Ulster Unionist Coalition Party
* Ulster Unionist Labour Association
* Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
* United Ulster Unionist Council
* United Ulster Unionist Party
* United Unionist Coalition
* Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party
* Volunteer Political Party

Nationalist / Republican|

* All Ireland Anti-Partition League
* Federation of Labour
* Fianna Uladh
* Irish Anti-Partition League
* Irish Independence Party
* Irish Union Association
* National Democratic Party
* Nationalist Party
* National League of the North
* National Unity
* Northern Council for Unity
* Official Sinn Féin
* People's Democracy
* Red Republican Party
* Republican Socialist Collective
* Saor Éire
* Socialist Republican Party
* Unity

Left-wing1|

* Belfast Labour Party
* Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist–Leninist)
* Communist Party of Northern Ireland
* Democratic Left
* Dock Labour Party
* Independent Labour Group
* Independent Socialist Party
* Labour coalition
* Labour Party of Northern Ireland
* Labour and Trade Union Group
* League for a Workers' Republic
* Northern Ireland Labour Party
* Republican Labour Party
* Socialist Labour Alliance
* Socialist Party of Northern Ireland
* United Labour Party
* World Socialist Party

Ulster nationalist|

* British Ulster Dominion Party
* Ulster Independence Movement
* Ulster Independence Party
* Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
* Ulster Third Way

Others|

* Democratic Partnership
* Natural Law Party
* Newtownabbey Ratepayers' Association
* Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
* Ulster Liberal Party
* Unbought Tenants' Association

1 Excluding those left-wing parties avowedly nationalist / republican or unionist / loyalist.
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