There are a number of political parties in the Republic of Ireland, and coalition governments are common. The state is unusual as a developed nation in that politics is not primarily characterised by the left-right political divide. This is because the two largest political parties Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not identify themselves first and foremost as either centre-right or centre-left parties. Rather, both parties arose from the great split that occurred in Irish politics at the time of the 1922–1923 Civil War, that followed the foundation of the state. Both descended from factions of the original Sinn Féin party: Fine Gael from the faction that supported the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty and Fianna Fáil from the anti-Treaty faction. This enduring characteristic of the Irish party system is sometimes pejoratively referred to as "Civil War politics". Northern Ireland is an administrative region and one of four parts of the United Kingdom. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ) (approximate English translation: Family or Tribe of the Irish) and officially, Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland, presently forming the largest opposition party in the Dail (Irish Parliament), and claims a membership... The Irish Civil War (June 28, 1922 – May 24, 1923) was a conflict between supporters and opponents of the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 6, 1921, which established the Irish Free State, precursor of todays Republic of Ireland. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... Signature page of the Anglo-Irish Treaty The Anglo-Irish Treaty, officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom and representatives of the extra-judicial Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of Independence. ...

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil is Ireland's largest and most successful political party. It was founded in 1926 as a radical anti-Treaty party, drawing support from small farmers and urban workers but has since become a party of the establishment. It was first elected to power in 1932 on a constitutional republican platform, promising to destroy constitutional links with Britain and reduce poverty by creating employment. It oversaw much of the industrial development of the Republic and has consequently drawn nationalist support from all social classes, making it a classic populist party. Generally Fianna Fáil has adopted left-leaning positions on economic matters, especially tending towards fiscal expansion, while remaining socially conservative e.g supporting censorship, opposing the introduction of legal contraception, divorce or abortion.

The economically liberal Progressive Democrats, with whom Fianna Fáil have entered three coalitions, have had an impact on the economic policy of Fianna Fáil governments, drawing it more towards the centre-right in recent years. The resulting combination of PD-inspired tax cuts and FF-driven spending increases has only been made possible by unusually high economic growth. Economists have warned that this policy combination runs the risk of overheating the economy. The Progressive Democrats (Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit. ...

The party's current leader, Bertie Ahern has been the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) since 1997 and seems to have emerged electorally unscathed from a recent scandal involving payments made to him by businessmen while he was Minister for Finance. His popularity is often attributed to his 'man of the people' persona and his considerable negotiating skill, having negotiated numerous social partnership contracts, the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, and an agreement among E. U. heads of government on the European Constitution. Patrick Bartholomew Bertie Ahern (Irish: ; born 12 September 1951) is an Irish politician who, since 26 June 1997, has served as the tenth Taoiseach. ... The Taoiseach (IPA: or ) — plural: Taoisigh ( or ), also referred to as An Taoiseach[1], is the head of government of Ireland or prime minister. ... Social Partnership is the term used for the tripartite, triennial national wage agreements reached in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998 by the British and Irish Governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. ... The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ...

As of June 2007, Fianna Fáil is represented by 77 Teachta Dála, 28 Senators, 4 Members of European Parliament, and 301 councillors nationally.

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is the second largest party in Ireland, was formed by a grand merger of the pro-Treaty Cumann na nGaedhael, the National Guard (a quasi-fascist group popularly called 'The Blueshirts') and the small National Centre Party in 1933. While historically Fine Gael has often been viewed as a centre-right party, supported by large farmers and businessmen, this characterisation is perhaps overly simplistic. For a period in the 1960s, for example, with the publication of the famous Just Society document, Fine Gael identified with the values of social democracy. Furthermore, during the 1980s, Fine Gael leader Garret Fitzgerald advocated the liberal agenda. It is now a member of the conservative Christian Democratic European People's Party. Historically Fine Gael has tended to support fiscal restraint and law and order domestically while adopting a less stridently nationalist position on Northern Ireland than Fianna Fáil. Currently many party members favour membership of NATO while MEP for Dublin Gay Mitchell has spoken out in favour of rejoining the Commonwealth. Fine Gael have been in government six times, in each case in coalition with the Labour Party, and in three of those cases with other parties as well. Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later named National Guard and better known by its nickname The Blueshirts, was an Irish political organisation set up by General Eoin ODuffy in 1932. ... The National Centre Party was a political party in the Irish Free State founded in late 1932 the party was initially know as the National Farmers and Ratepayers League. ... Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ) (approximate English translation: Family or Tribe of the Irish) and officially, Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland, presently forming the largest opposition party in the Dail (Irish Parliament), and claims a membership... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... Garret FitzGerald (Irish: ; born February 9, 1926) was the seventh Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, serving two terms in office; July 1981 to February 1982, and December 1982 to March 1987. ... The European Peoples Party (EPP) is the largest transnational European political party. ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on April 4, 1949. ... (Gabriel) Gay Mitchell (born December 30, 1951 in Dublin) is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for Dublin since 2004. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total...

As of June 2007, Fine Gael is represented by 51 Teachta Dála, 15 Senators, 5 Members of European Parliament and 290 councillors nationally.

Labour Party

The centre-left in the Republic's politics is represented by the Labour Party (Ireland) which is the state's third largest political party and has participated in coalition governments with each of the two largest parties over the years. Hoping to create a stronger left-wing force, the Labour Party merged with the smaller Democratic Left group in 1999 but this has not had as much impact as was hoped. The party's current leader, Pat Rabbite (a former Democratic left member), has expressed a strong preference for coalition with Fine Gael over Fianna Fáil. Nevertheless, the situation may change owing to the relatively inconclusive result of the 2007 General Election.

As of June 2007, the Labour Party is represented by 20 Teachta Dála, 5 Senators, 1 Member of European Parliament, and over 100 councillors nationally. It is the largest party on both Dublin and Galway city councils.

Green Party / Comhaontas Glas

The Green Party was established in 1981 and is allied to the European Green Party. It won its first seat in the Dail in 1989, and won 6 seats and just under 4% of the national vote in the 2002 elections. The party advocates ecologically sound and socially liberal policies. In 1994 and again in 1999, 2 of Ireland's 15 MEP's were from the Green party, but both seats were lost in 2004. The Green Party is strongest in Dublin, where 5 of its current 6 TD's are based, and has the 3rd highest number of seats of all parties in Dublin. Ireland's system of proportional representation, the Single Transferable Vote, works well for the Green Party, as they have proven to be very attractive for transfers from all other parties. The Green Party (Irish: ; lit. ... European Greens (or the European Green Party) is the name of the European Green Party, a political party at European level. ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... The Media embedded Processor (MeP) is a configurable 32-bit processor design from Toshiba Semiconductor for embedded media processing applications. ... TD or td may stand for: Touchdown Chad, ISO 2-letter country code Tank destroyer Tardive dyskinesia, serious adverse effects usually caused by older antipsychotic drugs <td> (table cell delimiter tag), see HTML Teachta Dála, Member of lower house of Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann Technical Director, cinematography and... Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ... This STV ballot for the Australian Senate illustrates group voting tickets. ...

As of June 2007, the Green Party is represented by 6 Teachta Dála nationally and has entered into coalition government with Fianna Fail Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Pronounced fee-na fall.) (English: Soldiers of Destiny) is the largest political party in the Republic of Ireland. ...

Sinn Féin

The largest of the modern-day Sinn Féin parties is closely linked to the now disarmed Provisional Irish Republican Army and has seats in the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Since supporting the Peace Process Sinn Féin has seen a dramatic increase in support in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. It has emerged as the second largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly with 28 seats out of 108 and the sixth largest in the Republic of Ireland with 5 seats in the Dáil (despite coming in with more votes than the Progressive Democrats and Green Party during the Irish general election, 2002). Sinn Féin also holds two seats in the European Parliament with one for the Republic and one for Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin's platform is primarily focused on achieving the reunification of Ireland and a large scale expansion of Ireland's social services (such as adopting a universal health care system and creating subsidised housing). Their political ideology mainly revolves around democratic socialism, Irish Republicanism and Irish Nationalism. For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA.[2]) is an Irish Republican, left wing[3] paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement and, more rarely, as the Stormont Agreement) was signed in Belfast on April 10, 1998 by the British and Irish Governments and endorsed by most Northern Ireland political parties. ... The logo of the Northern Ireland Assembly, a six flowered linen or flax plant. ... The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ...

In Northern Ireland's devolved government (which is overseen, from a distance, jointly by the British Government and the government of the Republic of Ireland), Sinn Féin's Martin McGuiness is Deputy First Minister, a position of equal standing and powers to that of First Minister, currently held by Ian Paisley, founder and leader of the anti-republican Democratic Unionist Party. Sinn Féin's two Members of the European Parliament belong to the European United Left–Nordic Green Left alliance which is a grouping of democratic socialist, democratic communist and environmentalist parties within the European Parliament. James Martin Pacelli McGuinness (born May 23, 1950) is an Irish nationalist politician, and terrorist leader (as member of the IRA army council). ... Ian Richard Kyle Paisley MP MLA (born 6 April 1926) is the First Minister of Northern Ireland. ... “DUP” redirects here. ... The Media embedded Processor (MeP) is a configurable 32-bit processor design from Toshiba Semiconductor for embedded media processing applications. ... GUE-NGL logo The European United Left–Nordic Green Left is a socialist and communist political grouping within the European Parliament. ... Democratic socialism is a political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the framework of a parliamentary democracy. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Established 1952, as the Common Assembly President Hans-Gert Pöttering (EPP) Since 16 January 2007 Vice-Presidents 14 Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou (EPP) Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP) Gérard Onesta (Greens – EFA) Edward McMillan-Scott (ED) Mario Mauro (EPP) Miguel Angel Martínez Martínez (PES) Luigi Cocilovo (ALDE) Mechtild...

As of July 2007, Sinn Féin is represented by 4 Teachta Dála, 1 Senator and 2 Members of European Parliament nationally.

Progressive Democrats

The Progressive Democrats a liberal party, were founded in 1985 when Desmond O'Malley and others in Fianna Fáil left, partially because of the opposition of Fianna Fáil to liberalise contraception and Fianna Fáil's opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985. The Progressive Democrats have a liberal approach to economic and social policy and a moderate approach to Northern Ireland. It adopts liberal positions on both economic issues and social or moral matters. It is a member of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), which is a constituent part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). The Progressive Democrats' economic policies are based on liberal economics. They support a free enterprise, low tax and pro-competition policy base. They have remained relatively small, but have been been in three governments: 1989–1992, 1997–2002 and since 2002, in all cases in coalition with Fianna Fáil. In the 1987 election, the first contested by the Progressive Democrats, the party won 11.9% of the vote, making it the 3rd largest party, but by 2007, they were on just 2.7% of the vote. Mary Harney led the party from 1993 to 2006, becoming the first female leader of an Irish political party, and the first female Tánaiste in the history of the State. Michael McDowell, often described as the party's intellectual powerhouse led the party (and served as Tánaiste in the 29th Dáil until its dissolution) until 25 May 2007 when after losing his seat in the 2007 general election he resigned from the leadership. Mary Harney has resumed as party leader. Desmond Joseph (Des) OMalley (Irish: ; born 2 February 1939), was a senior Fianna Fáil politician, the founder of the Progressive Democrats and the partys first leader (1985-1993). ... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... Mary Harney (Irish: ; born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician and the acting interim leader of the Progressive Democrats[1]. She is a TD for Dublin Mid West and served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment from 1997–2004, and is the... The Tánaiste (IPA: ; plural Tánaistí ), or, more formally, An Tánaiste[1], is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. ... Michael McDowell (Irish: ;[1] born 1 May 1951) is a former Irish politician and a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party. ... The Tánaiste (IPA: ; plural Tánaistí ), or, more formally, An Tánaiste[1], is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Mary Harney (Irish: ; born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician and the acting interim leader of the Progressive Democrats[1]. She is a TD for Dublin Mid West and served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment from 1997–2004, and is the...

In the current Oireachtas, established following the 2007 general election, the Progressive Democrats are represented by 2 Teachta Dála and 2 senators. Its national support base rests on an average of 3%, largely based in the eastern urban centres. The Irish general election of 2007 took place on 24 May 2007 after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 29 April 2007, at the request of the Taoiseach. ...

Socialist Party

The Socialist Party (in Irish An Páirtí Sóisialach) is a Marxist political party in the Trotskyist tradition active in Ireland, North and South. The Socialist Party was previously named the Militant Tendency of the Labour Party but left in the late 1980s.Joe Higgins was its sole member of Dáil Éireann representing Dublin West between 1997 and 2007. Higgins won over 5% of the vote in Dublin in the 2004 European election and was a prominent opposition spokesman in the Dáil. The Socialist Party currently have four County Councillors: Mick Murphy (South Dublin Council), Clare Daly and Ruth Coppinger (Fingal Council) and Mick Barry (Cork City). It is affiliated to the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). The Socialist Party is the largest party currently outside the Oireachtas. The Socialist Party (in Irish Páirtí Sóisialach) is a political party active in Ireland. ... Joe Higgins (born 1 May 1949) was the Socialist Partys sole TD (member of the Irish Dáil Éireann), representing Dublin West. ... Mick Murphy is an Irish socialist elected representative. ... Clare Daly is an Irish socialist politician and trade union activist. ... The Committee for a Workers International (CWI) is an international association of Trotskyist Parties. ...

Independents

As well as a number of parties, Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament) is also often host to independent TDs (deputies) who play an important role in Irish politics and are sometimes called upon to prop up minority governments or governments with slim majorities. They are usually elected on left-wing platforms or on local issues alone. This article is about the current Irish body. ... A Teachta Dála (Irish for Dáil Deputy, pronounced chock-ta dawla) is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Irish Oireachtas or National Parliament. ...

As of June 2007, independents comprise 5 Teachta Dála and 7 senators nationally.

Parties represented in Dáil Éireann

•   Fianna Fáil: Founded in 1926 by Eamon de Valera. The party first came to power in 1932 and since then has remained the largest party in the Dáil. Fianna Fáil has been in power for almost fifty years of its eighty year existence.
•   Fine Gael: Founded in 1933 following the merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the Centre Party and the Army Comrades Association Since it was founded Fine Gael has remained the second largest party in the Dáil. Cumann na nGaedhael formed the first government of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Since then Fine Gael has formed coalition governments, mostly with the Labour Party.
•   Labour Party: Founded in 1912 by James Connolly as a trade union movement. Until 1927 the party was the main opposition party in the Dáil. The Labour Party has participated in a number of coalition governments, mostly with Fine Gael. It was in coalition with Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994.
•   Green Party: Founded in 1981, the Greens, also known as Comhaontas Glas, have slowly grown from a fringe movement to a small party. They have 6 seats in the current Dail and joined Government for the first time in a coalition with Fianna Fáil in 2007.
•   Sinn Féin: The name Sinn Féin has been applied to a series of political movements since 1905 in Ireland, each of which claim or claimed sole descent from the original party established by Arthur Griffith in 1905. The largest of the modern-day Sinn Féin parties is closely linked to the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the only political party to have seats in the parliaments of both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Sinn Féin also holds two seats in the European Parliament with one for the Republic and one for Northern Ireland. Despite winning more votes than the Progressive Democrats and Irish Green Party during the Irish general election, 2002 Sinn Féin currently holds 4 seats in the Dail and is in 5th place.
•   Progressive Democrats: Currently the smallest party in the Dáil. The PDs are economically and socially liberal. Many members were originally disaffected members of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. The party was founded in December 1985 by two ex-Fianna Fáil TDs - Desmond O'Malley and Mary Harney. O'Malley became president and leader. The party won fourteen seats in the 1987 general election, thus becoming the third largest party in the Dáil. In 1989 the party entered into coalition government with Fianna Fáil, O'Malley becoming Minister for Industry and Commerce. Since 1997, the party has been in power in coalition with Fianna Fáil, with Mary Harney as Tánaiste until September 2006, when she was succeeded in the position and as party leader by Michael McDowell. Following the 2007 general election, in which Michael Mcdowell lost his seat, Mary Harney resumed leadership of the party.

Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... Eamon de Valera (born Edward George de Valera, sometimes Gaelicised Éamon de Bhailéara; October 14, 1882 – August 29, 1975), was an Irish politician, best known as a leader of Irelands struggle for independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the early 20th century, and... Fine Gael (IPA: , though often anglicised to ) (approximate English translation: Family or Tribe of the Irish) and officially, Fine Gael - The United Ireland Party, is the second largest political party in the Republic of Ireland, presently forming the largest opposition party in the Dail (Irish Parliament), and claims a membership... Cumann na nGaedheal (League of the Gaels) was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties. ... The Centre Party was a political party in the Irish Free State in the early 1930s. ... The Army Comrades Association (ACA), better known by its nickname The Blueshirts, was an Irish organisation set up by former police commissioner General Eoin ODuffy in the 1930s. ... Territory of the Irish Free State Capital Dublin Language(s) Irish, English Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1922–1936 George V  - 1936–1936 George VI President of the Executive Council  - 1922–1932 W.T. Cosgrave  - 1932–1937 Eamon de Valera Legislature Oireachtas  - Upper house Seanad Éireann  - Lower house Dáil Éireann... The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... For the Olympic athlete, see James Connolly (athlete) James Connolly James Connolly (June 5, 1868 - May 12, 1916) was an Irish nationalist and socialist leader. ... The Green Party (Irish: ; lit. ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... For pre-Arthur Griffith use of the political name, see Sinn Féin (19th century). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann) (IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Army or the RA.[2]) is an Irish Republican, left wing[3] paramilitary organisation that, until the Belfast Agreement, sought to end Northern... Northern Ireland (Irish: ) is a part of the United Kingdom lying in the northeast of the island of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139 km², about a sixth of the islands total area). ... The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday 17 May 2002, just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern. ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... The Progressive Democrats (Irish An Páirtí Daonlathach, lit. ... Desmond Joseph (Des) OMalley (Irish: ; born 2 February 1939), was a senior Fianna Fáil politician, the founder of the Progressive Democrats and the partys first leader (1985-1993). ... Mary Harney (Irish: ; born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician and the acting interim leader of the Progressive Democrats[1]. She is a TD for Dublin Mid West and served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment from 1997–2004, and is the... The Irish general election of 1987 was held on February 17, 1987, four weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on January 20. ... Fianna Fáil - The Republican Party (Irish: ), commonly referred to as Fianna Fáil (IPA ; traditionally translated by the party into English as Soldiers of Destiny, though the actual meaning is Soldiers [Fianna] of Ireland[1]), is currently the largest political party in Ireland with 55,000 members. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... The Tánaiste (IPA: ; plural Tánaistí ), or, more formally, An Tánaiste[1], is the deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. ... Michael McDowell (Irish: ;[1] born 1 May 1951) is a former Irish politician and a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party. ... The Irish general election of 2007 took place on 24 May 2007 after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 29 April 2007, at the request of the Taoiseach. ... Mary Harney (Irish: ; born 11 March 1953) is an Irish politician and the acting interim leader of the Progressive Democrats[1]. She is a TD for Dublin Mid West and served as Tánaiste from 1997–2006, and as Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment from 1997–2004, and is the...

Parties without Dáil representation

• Communist Party of Ireland: First founded in 1921, and refounded in 1933, the current communist party originates from 1970, when the Communist Party of Northern Ireland joined with the Irish Workers Party. While a registered political party, it has not stood candidates in recent elections, and remains quite small. It was historically quite influential in the trade union movement.
• Socialist Party (Ireland): Formed in 1996 by Trotskyists previously in the Labour Party. The Socialist Party has had limited success in winning council seats in working-class neighbourhoods in Dublin and Cork. Currently have no TDs but between 1997 and 2007 Joe Higgins represented the Party in the Dáil. Clare Daly, a councillor, twice came close to taking a second Dáil seat.
• Christian Solidarity Party
• Irish Republican Socialist Party
• Republican Sinn Féin
• Socialist Workers' Party
• Workers Party
• Irish National Party
• United People's Party

The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI; Irish: Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann) is a small all-Ireland Marxist party. ... The Socialist Party (in Irish Páirtí Sóisialach) is a political party active in Ireland. ... Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. ... The Christian Solidarity Party (An Comhar Críostaí) is a political party in the Republic of Ireland without parliamentary representation. ... Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) describes itself as a republican socialist party and claims to be both Marxist-Leninist and republican. ... Republican Sinn Féin (RSF) is a political party[2] operating in Ireland. ... The Socialist Workers Party (Ireland) (SWP) is an Irish, Trotskyist political party. ... The Workers Party (in Irish Páirtí na nOibrithe) is an Irish left wing political party that evolved from Official Sinn Féin. ...

Defunct political parties

• Aontacht Éireann
• British and Irish Communist Organisation
• Blueshirts
• Clann Éireann
• Clann na Poblachta
• Clann na Talmhan
• Córas na Poblachta
• Cumann na nGaedhael
• Cumann na Poblachta
• Cumann Poblachta na hÉireann
• Democratic Left
• Democratic Socialist Party
• Farmers' Party
• Home Rule League
• Independent Fianna Fáil
• Irish Parliamentary Party
• Muintir na hÉireann
• National Centre Party
• National Corporate Party
• National Labour Party
• National League Party
• National Party
• Nationalist Party
• National Progressive Democrats
• Republican Congress
• Saor Éire
• Socialist Labour Party
• Socialist Party of Ireland (1971)

Aontacht Éireann was a short lived Irish political party founded by Kevin Boland (former Fianna Fail government minister) after his resignation from that party in 1971. ... The British and Irish Communist Organisation (B&ICO) was a small and independent-minded communist organisation based in London, Belfast and Dublin. ... The Army Comrades Association (ACA), later named National Guard and better known by its nickname The Blueshirts, was an Irish political organisation set up by General Eoin ODuffy in 1932. ... Clann Éireann or the Peoples Party, was a minor political party in the Irish Free State. ... Clann na Poblachta (literally meaning Family of the Republic) was an Irish republican political party founded by former IRA Chief of Staff Sean MacBride in 1946. ... Clann na Talmhan (literally meaning Party of the Land) was an Irish political party. ... Córas na Poblachta (Republican Plan in English) was a minor Irish republican political party founded in 1940. ... Cumann na nGaedhael (IPA: ; Society of the Gaels), sometimes spelt Cumann na nGaedheal,[1] was an Irish language name given to two Irish political parties, the second of which had the greater impact. ... Cumann na Poblachta (League of the Republic in English) was an Irish republican political party. ... Cumann Poblachta na hÉireann was a political party established by the Irish Republican Army in 1936. ... Democratic Left was a socialist political party active primsrily in the Republic of Ireland, but also in Northern Ireland between 1992 and 1999. ... The Democratic Socialist Party was a small social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Farmers Party or Farmers Union was a political party that existed in the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1932. ... The Home Rule League, sometimes called the Home Rule Party, was a nineteenth and early twentieth century Irish political party which campaigned for home rule for the island of Ireland. ... Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party created by Neil Blaney after his expulsion from Fianna Fáil following the Irish Arms Crisis (1969-1970). ... The Irish Parliamentary Party (IPP) (commonly called the Irish Party) was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the House of Commons at Westminster within the... The Muintir na hÉireann or People of Ireland Party was a minor populist political party which was active in Ireland in the 1990s. ... The National Centre Party was a political party in the Irish Free State founded in late 1932 the party was initially know as the National Farmers and Ratepayers League. ... The National Corporate Party was a political party in Ireland founded by Eoin ODuffy. ... The National Labour Party was an Irish political party which was founded in 1944 as a split-off from the Irish Labour Party. ... The National League Party was a political party in Ireland. ... National Party or Nationalist Party can refer to several political parties, including: Australia - National Party of Australia, Nationalist Party of Australia Bangladesh - Bangladesh National Party, National Party, National Party (Manju), National Party (Naziur) Bohemia - National Party Britain - British National Party, Cornish Nationalist Party, Constitutional Movement Canada - National Party of Canada... The Nationalist Party, an Irish political party, existed under various forms from 1874 to 1978. ... The National Progressive Democrats was a small Left wing political party political party in the Republic of Ireland. ... The Republican Congress was an Irish Republican political organisation founded in 1934, when left wing republicans left the Irish Republican Army. ... Saor Éire (meaning Free Ireland) was a left-wing political organisation established in September 1931 by communist-leaning members of the Irish Republican Army, with the backing of the IRA leadership. ... The Socialist Labour Party was a political party in Ireland in the mid 1970s to early 1980s formed under the leadership of the late Matt Merrigan (General Secretary, A.T.G.W.U.) and Noel Browne (TD). ... The Socialist Party of Ireland (SPI) (Cumann Sóisialachais na Éireann in Irish) was a minor leftwing political party which existed in Ireland from 1971 to 1980. ...

See also

• Index of political parties to browse parties by name
• List of political parties to browse parties by country
• List of political parties by ideology to browse parties by name
• Membership of internationals to browse parties by membership of internationals

Welcome to the index of political parties, an alphabetical list of (mainly) present-day political parties listed in the list of political parties. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This is a list of political parties around the world in the form of a table including links to the lists of political parties in the countries and entities listed in the list of countries, showing which party system... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This is a list of political parties around the world by ideology. ... Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      This is a list of political parties around the world by ideology. ...

External links

• Resource: Yahoo Parties