Aontú | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Peadar Tóibín |
| Deputy leader | Gemma Brolly |
| Founded | 28 January 2019; 7 years ago (2019-01-28) |
| Split from | Sinn Féin |
| Headquarters | 8 Market Square,Navan,County Meath |
| Youth wing | Ógra Aontú |
| Membership(2024) |  2,000[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position |
|
| Slogan |
|
| Dáil Éireann | 2 / 174 |
| Seanad Éireann | 1 / 60 |
| Local government in the Republic of Ireland | 9 / 949 |
| Website | |
| aontu.ie | |
Aontú (Irish:[ˈeːn̪ˠt̪ˠuː];[9] "Unity")[n 1] is aconservative[15][16][17]Irish republican[2] political party active in both theRepublic of Ireland andNorthern Ireland.[18] It has been led byPeadar Tóibín since its foundation in January 2019.[19] The party holdssocially conservative positions, with a significant policy beingopposition to abortion,[3][13] and is left-wing on economic issues.[4][6][7][20] Political observers have variously characterised Aontú ascentre-left,[21]right-wing,[22][23] orpopulist.[4][24][25]
The party was founded by Peadar Tóibín, aTD who resigned fromSinn Féin on 15 November 2018 due to his anti-abortion views after opposing theparty whip on theHealth (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018.[26][27] Tóibín began canvassing elected representatives, securing support within a week from twolocal councillors in the Republic.[28] Tóibín held meetings across the island addressing interested potential members. The firstNorthern Ireland local councillor declared on 7 January 2019.[29] As of 28 January 2019[update] eight councillors had joined.[30] A second councillor in Northern Ireland joined on 26 February 2019.[31]
The name "Aontú" was announced at a meeting inBelfast on 28 January 2019.[32] TheMeath Chronicle said that the announcement of the name was precipitated by its unexpected publication on theUK Electoral Commission website.[14] Tóibín said the party had sought registration in both jurisdictions, that "Aontú obviously means unity and our major objective isthe unity of Irish people north and south".[33] He recalled that Belfast was the birthplace of theUnited Irishmen of 1798.[34] Aontú would "seek to build an all-Ireland economy to mitigate the worst effects ofBrexit, economic justice for all and to protect theright to life".[19][13] Tóibín said he was talking with Sinn Féin,SDLP, andindependent representatives in Northern Ireland,[35] and that "people from Sinn Féin, SDLP andFianna Fáil backgrounds would feel comfortable" in the party.[33]
Following its foundation in January of that year, Aontú contested theNorthern Ireland local elections in May 2019. The party, which nominated 16 candidates,[36] won one seat onDerry and Strabane Council, with its two outgoing councillors losing their seats.[37] Several months after the election, a councillor for the SDLP in Mid Ulster joined Aontú.[38] Later in May 2019, the party put forward 53 candidates in the2019 local elections in the Republic Ireland, including its seven sitting councillors. Three were elected.[39] Of the four Dáil by-elections held in November 2019, Aontú contested two. Finian Toomey came 7th in the2019 Cork North-Central by-election with 1,008 votes (3.9%),[40] and Jim Codd came 6th in the2019 Wexford by-election with 2,102 votes (5.2%).[41] Aontú contested seven seats in the2019 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland. The party, which received 9,814 votes (1.2%), won none of these seats.[42]
Aontú fielded 25 candidates in the2020 Irish general election, including leader Peadar Tóibín (Meath West), deputy leader Anne McCloskey (Sligo-Leitrim) and a number of sitting local councillors.[43] Tóibín was the only successful candidate. As Tóibín was not invited to participate in a televised debate alongside the leaders of other parties, the party threatened aHigh Court action againstRTÉ. The party, however, did not proceed with the action noting that there "was not enough time to have the action heard" before the debate.[44] In the2020 Seanad election, Paul Lawless contested theCultural and Educational Panel receiving 2.6% of votes.[45]
In September 2020, Aontú's then deputy leader Anne McCloskey came under criticism for her comments about the effectiveness of masks during theCOVID-19 pandemic, with party leaderPeadar Tóibín defending her right to her view on the topic.[46] McCloskey stepped down as a councillor in October 2020, and was replaced by party member Emmet Doyle.[47][48] She was replaced as deputy leader by Denise Mullen. At the 2022 Ard Fheis, Mullen stepped down from the position of deputy leader and was replaced by Gemma Brolly, Aontú candidate forEast Londonderry at theMay 2022 Assembly election.
In November 2020, theStandards in Public Office Commission announced that Aontú were one of five political parties who failed to provide them with a set of audited accounts for 2019, in breach of statutory obligations.[49] In response, Aontú released a statement claiming that they had submitted the account statements and apologising for the delay, citing theCOVID-19 pandemic.[50]
Mairéad Tóibín unsuccessfully contested the2021 Dublin Bay South by-election, coming ninth with 740 first preference votes (2.8%).[51]
Aontú fielded 12 candidates in the2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election.[52] None of its candidates were elected, with the party coming in eighth place with 12,777 first preference votes (1.5%).[53] The party also contested the2023 Northern Ireland local elections. None of Aontú's 19 candidates were elected, with their incumbent councillor inDerry City and Strabane District Council losing his seat.[54]
In 2024, the party campaigned for No votes in the2024 Irish constitutional referendums; Both referendums were overwhelmingly defeated.[55][56] Aontú later ran 66 candidates in the2024 Irish local elections, securing eight council seats. It also fielded candidates in three constituencies for the2024 European Parliament elections: Peadar Tóibín in Midlands North West, Patrick Murphy in Ireland South and Aisling Considine in Dublin. None were elected.[57][58][59] Sarah Beasley also ran, unsuccessfully, as the Aontú candidate in the2024 Limerick mayoral election.[60] In the2024 Westminster election in Northern Ireland, Aontú stood in 10 of 18 constituencies,[61] winning no seats from 7,466 votes (1.0% of the total).[62] Aontú won a second seat in the Dáil in the2024 general election withPaul Lawless elected as a TD forMayo.[63]
On 8 December, both Aontú TDs joined atechnical group 'Regional Group' formed by eight independent TDs -Seán Canney,Marian Harkin,Barry Heneghan,Noel Grealish,Michael Lowry,Kevin "Boxer" Moran,Verona Murphy andGillian Toole; after Aontú's entrance, the group had 10 TDs in total.[64] The group intended to address regional infrastructure issues such as railway lines, as well as accelerating housing construction.[65]
In January 2025, Aontú left the Regional Group and instead joined a technical group in the Dáil with the political partyIndependent Ireland.[66] Later in 2025, Aontú reportedly expelled six members of its youth wing Ógra Aontú, including its leader, for posting WhatsApp messages that contained antisemitic messages, racist slurs, comments about "brown people" and conspiracy theories about members of the Jewish community.[67][68]
Party founder and leader Peadar Tóibín has described Aontú as left of centre economically while "socially conservative".[69][70][71] In 2019, the party was described by the unionistBelfast News Letter as "Catholic conservative",[72] and byThe Times as "socially conservative",[3] whileHarry McGee described its ideology as "rural conservatism andtraditionalism".[73] In 2020,David Quinn ofThe Sunday Times called Aontú "a pro-life centre-left party".[21] In 2024,Politico andThe Connaught Telegraph described Aontú as "right wing",[22][23] andThe Irish Times said it had "positions that lean both left and right".[74] The European Center for Populism Studies described it as populist and "on the right",[24] while Eoin O'Malley, a political science professor atDublin City University, concurs that Aontú is populist and socially right wing, although he views their economics as left-wing.[4] TheIrish Independent described the party as "economically left-wing, but socially conservative",[6] while political scientist Corinne Deloy wrote that Aontú is "economically positioned on the left of the political spectrum but on the right when it comes to social issues".[7] Political researchers Gilles Ivaldi and Emilia Zankina wrote that the party is left-wing populist, and rivals withSinn Féin.[25] The party draws support from right-wing voters.[4]
The party condemns "culture wars" and argues that they serve to distract from the issues of Irish unity and economic justice.[75] In 2023, Peadar Tóibín expressed opposition to sexually explicit material being taught to children in schools.[76] Aontú opposed a 2024 proposed expansion ofhate speech laws on the grounds that it amounted tocensorship.[77] The party has supported a proposed enquiry into the Irish government's handling of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[78] In 2024, Tóibín opposed the possible extension of freecontraception to girls aged 16 and described it as the State "giving licence to underage sexual activity" and saidMinister for HealthStephen Donnelly was "virtue signalling".[79][80]
At the party's 2025Ard Fheis, members voted in favour of "an audit of allDEI policies", the ending of "unconscious bias training" in theDefence Forces, and for an end to media "misinformation" based on off-the-record political briefings. Members also voted in favour of asking the Government to put any future laws on "freedom of speech" to a referendum.[81]
Aontú isanti-abortion, a stance which Tóibín has described as a "core value" of the party.[13][82][83]
In 2023, Tóibín introduced a bill in theDáil Éireann to preventtransgender female prisoners from being placed into women's prisons,[84] and in their 2024 manifesto the party called for the repeal of the Gender Recognition Act for the same reason.[85] In 2024,Meath County Councillor Emer Tóibín proposed a motion calling on theLGFA to reverse its transgender policy which allows transgender women and girls to playladies' Gaelic football.[86][87]
At its 2025 Ard Fheis, members voted for a ban on "the introduction ofSharia law" or "community courts of any religion".[81]
The party advocates for an immigration policy that is "stricter" and "sustainable", while also containing "compassion and common sense".[74][88][89] Tóibín stated that Ireland has a moral obligation to offer sanctuary to immigrants who flee war, famine or violence, but also argued that there should be no "orthodoxy and uniformity" on the issue.[75] In 2021, deputy leader Denise Mullen called for Ireland to offer help during theAfghan refugee crisis.[90] Tóibín supports an "Irish Sea border in terms of people", where asylum seekers who arrive in Northern Ireland would be subject to the samepassport controls as at Irish airports and ports.[74] Aontú has called for a greater level of public consultation on immigration.[74][91]
The party opposed the 2024EU Asylum and Migration Pact,[92] arguing that it would "erode the ability of domestic governments to manage their immigration systems and adapt to any changes in migration". Aontú also calls for stronger border protection and security, stating that border agencies are understaffed.[93]
The Phoenix has described Tóibín and Aontú as possessing a "strong rightward stance" on immigration[94] while Gerald Howlin of theIrish Examiner has described Tóibín's views on immigration as "nativist".[95] Gilles Ivaldi and Emilia Zankina argue that the party's views on immigration make it a more conservative left-wing populist competitor with Sinn Féin.[25]
At its 2025 Ard Fheis, Aontú members backed a motion calling for an "outright ban" on anyone who "purposely destroyed their travel documents" entering the State.[96]
Aontú is broadlyEurosceptic, opposingEuropean federalism and aEuropean army.[5][27][97] It also speaks againstEU enlargement and criticizes the EU for being too centralized; Aontú wishes to "devolve foreign policy back to the nations states".[93]
The party supportsIrish neutrality and opposes proposals by theGovernment to remove the requirement of aUN mandate before more than 12 members of theDefence Forces can be deployed abroad.[98][99][100] The party opposes aEuropean Defence Union or any moves towards amilitary alliance.[101]
The party supports atwo-state solution in theIsraeli-Palestine conflict.[102] The party takes a pro-Palestine stance, pledging to ban trade with the settlements of Israel, impose economic and military sanctions on Israel, and expelling the Israeli ambassador from Ireland. It also proposes conducting an ethics audit to ensure that Irish public institutions do not cooperate nor fund Israel.[93]
The party holds left-wing views on economics and climate change.[6][4][7] According to Eoin O'Malley, the party shares the economic positions of Sinn Féin, and places focus on economic justice.[4] Aontú also strongly supports economic welfare.[103] As of early 2020, the party's published policies included proposals for aunited Ireland, a referendum on a "right tocollective bargaining and trade union membership",[104] an end tozero hours contracts,[104] and increased state spending on public housing.[105] Aontú also proposes reforming the Irish healthcare system into a state-paid one, where the state will cover the operations, treatments and consultations received by Irish patients.[93] Their site states Ireland should model itself on the "best practice in Scandinavian countries".[104] Tóibín stressed the importance of economic issues, stating that one "cannot be a left-wing political party and allow for your communities to slide into poverty and sit by idly by".[106]
In their 2021 budget submission, the party called on changes to the state pension scheme, reducing Leap Card fares and increasing the Banking Levy.[107] Aontú supports the building of a "new international city" in a different part of the country fromDublin.[108] The party also adheres toprotectionism and opposes trade deals such as theEU–Mercosur Association Agreement. It also offers to address housing shortage by taking the power to build social homes to public service, limiting the power of corporations in the housing industry and cracking down on "vulture funds".[109] Aontú also proposes linking pensions to the rate of inflation, and extending tax credit increases for workers to pensioners as well. It advocates a reformed social insurance model that would ensure a right to decent income during retirement and prevent workers from losing pension rights because of changing market conditions. The party also proposes reinstating the occupational supplementary pension for workers such as theDefence Forces members.[110]
While Aontú was founded in a split fromSinn Féin, Aontú members and elected representatives come from different political backgrounds: two councillors were former members of theSocial Democratic and Labour Party, one councillor was a former member ofFianna Fáil, and two other councillors never held political office prior to joining Aontú.[111][112][113][114] The party retains the ideology ofIrish republicanism,[115] and related policies; for example, Aontú maintains a policy ofabstentionism, which means that while it runs candidates in Northern Ireland in British general elections, should an Aontú candidate be elected, they would not take up their seat in the British parliament.[116]
The Irish Catholic editor Michael Kelly believed the party could "capitalise" on the "abandon[ment] [of] many of the values that were key to a largely Catholic electorate in the North" by "the traditional parties ofnationalism".[117]
Aontú's youth branch, Ógra Aontú, was formed in May 2020. Membership of the branch is open to Aontú members aged between 16 and 30.[118] As of April 2024, John Bryan was leading the party's youth wing,[119] but in October 2025 Bryan and several other Ógra members were expelled from the party over racist and antisemitic remarks posted to a WhatsApp group.[120]
The party has three representatives, TDsPeadar Tóibín andPaul Lawless (inDáil Éireann) andSarah O'Reilly (inSeanad Éireann), at national level.
As of January 2026, Aontú has nine sitting representatives at local level, all of whom arecounty councillors in the Republic of Ireland.[121][non-primary source needed]
The following are the terms of office as party leader.
| Name | Portrait | Period | Constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peadar Tóibín | .jpg) | 2019 – present | Meath West |
| Name | Period |
|---|---|
| Anne McCloskey | July 2019 to October 2020[122][123] |
| Denise Mullen | October 2020 to October 2022[123] |
| Gemma Brolly | October 2022 to present[124] |
| Election | Leader | FPv | % | Seats | % | ± | Dáil | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Peadar Tóibín | 41,575 | 1.9 (#8) | 1 / 160 | 0.6 (#8) | New | 33rd | Opposition 32nd, 33rd, 34th government (FF-FG-GPmajority) |
| 2024 | 86,134 | 3.9 (#6) | 2 / 174 | 1.2 (#8) | 1 | 34th | Opposition 35th government (FF-FG-Ind majority) |
| Election | Leader in Seanad | Seats | ± | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | N/a | 0 / 60 |  | No seats |
| 2025 | Sarah O'Reilly | 1 / 60 | 1 | Opposition |
| Election | Leader | 1st pref votes | % | Seats | ± | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022[125] | Peadar Tóibín | 12,777 | 1.5 (#8) | 0 / 90 | No seats |
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats (in NI) | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NI | UK | |||||
| 2019 | Peadar Tóibín | 9,814 | 1.2 (#6) | <0.1 | 0 / 18 | |
| 2024 | 7,466 | 1.0 (#9) | <0.1 | 0 / 18 | | |
| Election | Country | Seats contested | 1st pref votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Northern Ireland | 16 | 7,459 | 1.1 | 1 / 462 |
| 2019 | Republic of Ireland | 51 | 25,660 | 1.5 | 3 / 949 |
| 2023 | Northern Ireland | 19 | 6,771 | 0.9 | 0 / 462 |
| 2024 | Republic of Ireland | 66 | 39,461 | 2.1 | 8 / 949 |
| Election | Leader | 1st pref Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Peadar Tóibín | 65,559 | 3.76 (#8) | 0 / 14 | New | − |
While it would be hard to identify these parties on a left–right spectrum, another populist party that emerged and was sometimes accused of being 'far right' is more clearly on the left economically. Aontú emerged as a splinter group from Sinn Féin over the party's stance on abortion. The leader of Aontú was a Sinn Féin TD who was disciplined for opposing the repeal of a provision in the Irish constitution banning abortion. The party shares Sinn Féin's focus on a united Ireland and left-leaning economic policies, which it styles as 'economic justice'.
After all, Micheál Martin has described Fianna Fáil as being "a bit to the left", and Aontú is economically left-wing, but socially conservative.
Aontu, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland party formed from a split from Sinn Fein, created in 2019 by Peadar Toibin, who has led it ever since. The party is economically positioned on the left of the political spectrum but on the right when it comes to social issues, and has 1 elected member;
The main opposition will be provided by a populist left party in the form of Sinn Fein, plus Labour, the Social Democrats, a pro-life centre-left party in the shape of Aontu, and the far left.
Tapping into those sentiments are a disparate array of right wing upstarts. Among them is Aontú (Unity), a party founded by ex-Sinn Féin lawmaker Peadar Tóibín, and the Rural Independents, a loose grouping of lawmakers including another Sinn Féin defector, Carol Nolan.
The growth of right-wing smaller parties such as Aontú and Independent Ireland, who have shared increasing spoils from disenchanted FFG voters, will serve to benefit the status quo.
Mid Tyrone .. Rosemarie Shields ... Eliminated;"Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council candidates".Election 2019. BBC News. 4 May 2019.Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved5 May 2019.
Craigavon ... Fergal Thomas Lennon ... Eliminated
Aontú is fielding candidates in 10 constituencies in Northern Ireland
Deputy Tóibín said Aontú is left of centre economically and socially conservative
The second is that Aontú has struggled to make a national breakthrough and will continue to be squeezed on all sides, having, as it does, positions that lean both left and right.
the newly formed anti-abortion party Aontu to be elected
Aontú seeks to repeal the Gender Recognition Act to end the shocking government practice of male born sex offenders being placed in women's prisons.
The Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) has introduced a new policy that allows transgender women and girls to play the sport except in circumstances where an "unacceptable risk" arises.
In this context, debate is taking place in Ireland about the future of the Triple Lock - the legislative device that, since 2001, has required a United Nations' mandate along with a Dáil and Government decision to be taken before more than 12 members of the Defence Forces are deployed on overseas missions.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said the triple lock is the foundation stone of Irish neutrality and "by definition, means that Ireland does not align with any existing military bloc".
Aontú opposes any moves towards a military alliance.
We support a peaceful two-state solution in Palestine. We have met the Palestinian Ambassador and raised money for medical aid during the recent conflict and we will continue to support and end to the violence.
If the state invested €2.2 billion in capital spending a year the 10,000 housing units per year objective of the Oireachtas Housing Committee could be surpassed.
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
