Socialist Party of Ireland (1904)

This article is about the party founded in 1904. For the party founded in 1971, see Socialist Party of Ireland (1971). For the current Socialist Party in Ireland, see Socialist Party (Ireland).

Political party in Ireland

Socialist Party of Ireland

Founded| 1904
Dissolved| 1923
Preceded by| Irish Socialist Republican Party
Succeeded by| Irish Worker League
Newspaper| Workers' Republic
Youth wing| Young Communist League
Ideology| Communism
International affiliation| Communist International (from 1921)

* Politics of Ireland
* Political parties
* Elections

The Socialist Party of Ireland (SPI) was a small political party in Ireland associated with James Connolly.

## Socialist Party of Ireland

[edit]

Until 1904, Connolly was the leading figure in the Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP). However, the ISRP had lost many members following internal disputes, with some forming the rival Irish Socialist Labour Party (ISLP). The ISLP attempted to affiliate to the recently founded British Socialist Labour Party, but was advised to attempt to merge with the ISRP first. With Connolly out of the country, this was achieved, the two groups coming together to form the new "Socialist Party of Ireland".[1]

Although the party's initial membership was based in Dublin, it soon established groups in Belfast and Cork. However, it was unable to attract the Belfast-based members of the Independent Labour Party (ILP) around William Walker to join, as they opposed the new party's principle of Irish Home Rule.[2]

Despite some growth, the party remained small and only held its first conference in 1910. Connolly was chosen as its national organiser, while Francis Sheehy-Skeffington became president, Michael Mallin was secretary, and William O'Brien was also elected to the executive.[2]

In 1912, Connolly called a socialist unity conference in Dublin, attended by the Belfast branch of the Socialist Party and four of the Belfast-based ILP branches, only Walker's own branch refusing to attend. The five groups united to form the "Independent Labour Party of Ireland", but this collapsed soon after the outbreak of World War I, after Connolly was banned from giving speeches alleged to be pro-German in Belfast by the local leadership of the group.[3] Nationally, the SPI almost stopped operating during the war, but was revived by supporters of the Russian February Revolution and October Revolution.[2]

With the SPI now led by O'Brien,[2] Cathal O'Shannon was elected as president,[4] and Sean O'Casey also became a leading figure.[2] An opposition faction around Roddy Connolly and Seán McLoughlin wished to affiliate to the Communist International (Comintern).[5] But even O'Shannon spoke about pursuing both political and military action to enable a workers' revolution, and welcomed the formation of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). To build links with the Bolsheviks, both factions in the SPI claimed that the party had played a significant role in the Irish War of Independence. Although some members had been centrally involved, this claim was not correct, as the party was largely inactive at the time.[4]

## Communist Party of Ireland

[edit]

This section is about the first "Communist Party of Ireland". For other uses, see Communist Party of Ireland (disambiguation).

The left faction were successful in winning the group over, with Connolly becoming the leader and McLoughlin elected as president.[4][5] Liam O'Flaherty and George Pollock also came to prominence, while O'Brien and O'Shannon were expelled in October,[2][4] at the same time as the group renamed itself as the Communist Party of Ireland (CPI).[6] Connolly wrote a document setting out a strategy for the party, arguing that it should develop a nucleus in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish Citizen Army, while also seeing revolutionary potential in the Protestant workers in Ulster. However, the Comintern ordered the party to focus on the national question and orientate to the IRA. While the CPGB was supportive of the CPI, it disagreed on this focus.[4]

Although the party claimed 300 members in October 1921, this dropped rapidly, and by the end of November, it claimed only 78 members in Dublin and 28 in Cork. In December, Nora Connolly and Eamonn MacAlpine were suspended and formed the rival Communist Groups, focusing more heavily on links with the IRA. The CPGB sent Thomas A. Jackson and Willie Gallacher to arrange negotiations between the two.[4]

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed in December 1921, and the CPI sided with the anti-treaty republicans; Peadar O'Donnell, a leading figure in the IRA, joined the party, and it formed a small Red Guard which offered to provide support for the IRA.[4]

O'Flaherty and Seán McIntyre led a small group of CPI members who declared that they were establishing a soviet republic while they occupied the Rotunda Hospital in January 1922, but the party's leadership called this a "childish stunt", and both leaders left Dublin and the party.[4] The British Special Branch concluded that Connolly had visited Moscow on more than one occasion, and that the party was receiving a subsidy from the Comintern. They incorrectly believed that the party was responsible for numerous revolutionary actions early in 1922.[7]

At the 1923 Irish general election, the CPI endorsed O'Donnell's successful candidature in Donegal, although he did not sit as a party member. Patrick Gaffney, who had been elected for the Labour Party in the election, left it soon afterwards and joined the CPI, becoming its only Parliamentary representative. He stood again in the 1923 general election, but was heavily defeated.[4]

The CPI held its first Congress in January 1923, chaired by Walter Carpenter. Other than Gaffney, all the delegates were from Dublin.[4] With membership remaining low, when Jim Larkin established the Irish Worker League in September, the Comintern ordered the CPI to dissolve itself, and for its members to work through Larkin's group. Although the party's leadership protested that membership would rise once imprisoned members were released, they complied with the order.[2][4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Nevin, Donal (2005). James Connolly: A Full Life. Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 9780717139118.
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barberis, Peter; McHugh, John; Tyldesley, Mike (2000). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations. A&C Black. pp. 207–208, 251. ISBN 9780826458148.
3. ^ Collins, Peter (1994). "The Labour Movement in Belfast". In Elvert, Jürgen (ed.). Nordirland in Geschichte und Gegenwart [Northern Ireland – Past and Present] (in German). Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 83–84\. ISBN 978-3-515-06102-5.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Treacy, Matt (2012). The Communist Party of Ireland 1921 – 2011. Brocaire Books. pp. 4–14\. ISBN 978-1291093186.
5. ^ a b McGuire, Charlie (April 2006). "Seán McLoughlin – the boy commandant of 1916". History Ireland. Vol. 14, no. 2. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
6. ^ Gallagher, Michael (1986). Political Parties in the Republic of Ireland. Manchester University Press. p. 97\. ISBN 978-0719017421.
7. ^ McMahon, Paul (2008). British Spies and Irish Rebels: British Intelligence and Ireland, 1916–1945. History of British Intelligence. Boydell Press. p. 123\. ISBN 9781843833765. JSTOR 10.7722/j.ctt163tc7g.

* v
* t
* e

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

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template