Labour Party Páirtí an Lucht Oibre | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Ivana Bacik |
| Seanad leader | Vacant |
| Parliamentary Party Chairperson | Ged Nash |
| Chairperson | Lisa Connell |
| General Secretary | Billie Sparks |
| Founders | |
| Founded | 28 May 1912; 113 years ago (28 May 1912) |
| Headquarters | 2 Whitefriars,Aungier Street,Dublin |
| Youth wing | Labour Youth |
| Women's wing | Labour Women |
| LGBT wing | Labour LGBT |
| Membership(2020) | ~3,000[1][needs update] |
| Ideology | Social democracy Pro-Europeanism |
| Political position | Centre-left |
| European affiliation | Party of European Socialists |
| European Parliament group | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats |
| International affiliation | |
| Colours | Red |
| Anthem | "The Red Flag" |
| Dáil Éireann | 11 / 174 |
| Seanad Éireann | 2 / 60 |
| Local government | 56 / 949 |
| European Parliament | 1 / 14 |
| Website | |
| labour.ie | |
TheLabour Party (Irish:Páirtí an Lucht Oibre,lit. 'Party of the Working People') is acentre-left[2][3][4] andsocial democratic[5][6]political party in the Republic of Ireland.[7] It was founded on 28 May 1912 inClonmel,County Tipperary, byJames Connolly,James Larkin, andWilliam O'Brien as the political wing of theIrish Trades Union Congress.[8]
Labour continues to be the political arm of the Irish trade union and labour movement and seeks to represent workers' interests in the Dáil and on a local level. Unlike many other Irish political parties, Labour did not arise as a faction ofthe original Sinn Féin party, although it merged with theDemocratic Left in 1999, a party that traced its origins back toSinn Féin. The party has served as a partner incoalition governments on eight occasions since its formation: seven times in coalition either withFine Gael alone or with Fine Gael and other smaller parties, and once withFianna Fáil. This gives Labour a cumulative total of twenty-five years served as part of a government, the third-longest total of any party in theRepublic of Ireland after Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Led byIvana Bacik, it is the fourth-largest party inDáil Éireann, with eleven seats, and is the fourth-largest party inSeanad Éireann, with two seats, making Labour the fourth-largest party in the Oireachtas overall as of 2025. It currently has 1 MEP. The Labour Party is a member of theProgressive Alliance,[9]Socialist International,[10] andParty of European Socialists.[11]
James Connolly,James Larkin andWilliam O'Brien established the Irish Labour Party on 28 May 1912, as the political wing of theIrish Trades Union Congress, inClonmel Town Hall.[12][13][14] This party was to represent the workers in the expected Dublin Parliament under the ThirdHome Rule Act 1914.[15] However, after the defeat of the trade unions in theDublin Lockout of 1913 the labour movement was weakened; the emigration of James Larkin in 1914 and the execution of James Connolly following theEaster Rising in 1916 further damaged it.[citation needed]
TheIrish Citizen Army (ICA), formed during the 1913 Lockout,[16] was informally the military wing of the Labour Movement. The ICA took part in the 1916 Rising.[17] CouncillorRichard O'Carroll, a Labour Party member of Dublin Corporation, was the only serving elected representative to be killed during the Easter Rising. O'Carroll was shot by John Bowen-Colthurst and died several days later, on 5 May 1916.[18] The ICA was revived duringPeadar O'Donnell'sRepublican Congress but after the 1935 split in the Congress most ICA members joined the Labour Party.
In Larkin's absence,William O'Brien became the dominant figure in theIrish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) and wielded considerable influence in the Labour Party.[citation needed] O'Brien also dominated the Irish Trades Union Congress[citation needed]. The Labour Party, led byThomas Johnson from 1917,[19] declined to contest the1918 general election in order to allow the election to take the form of a plebiscite on Ireland's constitutional status (although some candidates did run in Belfast constituencies under the Labour banner against Unionist candidates).[20] It also refrained from contesting the1921 elections. As a result, the party was left outsideDáil Éireann during the vital years of the independence struggle.
TheAnglo-Irish Treaty divided the Labour Party.[citation needed] Some members sided withthe Irregulars in theIrish Civil War that quickly followed,[citation needed] however O'Brien and Johnson encouraged its members to support the Treaty. In the1922 general election the party won 17 seats, having fielded 18 candidates. Winning 21.4% of the first preference vote, this remains the party's highest ever share of the vote as of 2022.[21][19] However, there were a number of strikes during the first year and a loss in support for the party. In the1923 general election the Labour Party only won 14 seats. From 1922 untilFianna FáilTDs took their seats in 1927, the Labour Party was the majoropposition party in theDáil. Labour attacked the lack of social reform by theCumann na nGaedheal government. From 1927, a large number of the Labour Party's voters were pre-empted by Fianna Fáil, with its almost identical policies. Labour lacked Fianna Fáil's 'republican' image, which was a contributing factor to this loss.[22]
Larkin returned to Ireland in April 1923.[23] He hoped to resume the leadership role in the ITGWU which he had previously left, but O'Brien resisted him. Larkin also created a pro-communist party called theIrish Worker League. O'Brien regarded Larkin as a "loose cannon." Following a failed challenge to O'Brien's leadership and association with communist militancy, Larkin was expelled from the ITGWU and created the WUI, a communist alternative to the ITGWU, in 1924. Two-thirds of the Dublin membership of the ITGWU defected to the new union. O'Brien blocked the WUI from admission to the ITUC. Larkin was elected to Dáil Éireann at the September 1927 general election. However, the Labour Party prevented him from taking his seat as an undischarged bankrupt for losing a libel case against Labour leader Tom Johnson.[24]
In 1932, the Labour Party supportedÉamon de Valera's first Fianna Fáil government, which had proposed a programme of social reform with which the party was in sympathy.[citation needed] In the1943 general election the party won 17 seats, its best result since 1927.[citation needed]
The Irish Labour Party and the Irish Trades Union Congress separated in 1930. Future leader William Norton was prominent in urging the separation of the political and industrial wings of the labour movement into autonomous organisations, arguing that the move was necessary to broaden the party's electoral appeal beyond a trade union constituency.[25]
The party wassocially conservative compared to similar European parties, and its leaders from 1932 to 1977 (William Norton and his successorBrendan Corish) were members of the Catholic fraternal organisation theKnights of Saint Columbanus.[26] The early to mid-20th century marked constant battles within Labour about whether to appease the Catholic Church or to take on a more militant labour approach.
Despite efforts in the 1930s to sternly downplay the idea of Communist influence over the party, by the 1940s internal conflict and complementary allegations of communist infiltration caused a split in the Labour Party and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Tensions peaked in 1941 when party founder Jim Larkin and a number of his supporters were re-admitted to the party and subsequently accused of "taking over" Labour branches in Dublin. In response William X. O'Brien left with six TDs in 1944, founding theNational Labour Party, whose leader wasJames Everett. O'Brien also withdrew the ITGWU[27] from the Irish Trades Unions Congress and set up his own congress. The split damaged the Labour movement in the1944 general election. The ITGWU attacked "Larkinite and Communist Party elements" which it claimed had taken over the Labour Party. The split and the anti-communist assault put Labour on the defensive. It launched its own inquiry into communist involvement, which resulted in the expulsion of six members.Alfred O'Rahilly inThe Communist Front and the Attack on Irish Labour widened the assault to include the influence of British-based unions and communists in the ITUC. The National Labour Party juxtaposed itself against this by emphasising its commitment to Catholic Social Teaching. However, Labour also continued to emphasise its anti-communist credentials. Only after Larkin's death in 1947 could an attempt at unity be made.[28]
After the1948 general election National Labour had five TDs – Everett,Dan Spring,James Pattison,James Hickey andJohn O'Leary. National Labour and Labour (with 14 TDs) both entered the First Inter-Party Government, with the leader of National Labour becomingMinister for Posts and Telegraphs. In 1950, the National Labour TDs rejoined the Labour Party.
From 1948 to 1951 and from 1954 to 1957, the Labour Party was the second-largest partner in the two inter-party governments (the largest beingFine Gael). William Norton, the Labour Party leader, becameTánaiste on both occasions. During the First Inter-Party Government he served asMinister for Social Welfare, while during the Second Inter-Party Government he served asMinister for Industry and Commerce. (Seefirst inter-party government andsecond inter-party government.)
TheRepublic of Ireland Act 1948 andIreland Act 1949 precipitated a split in theNorthern Ireland Labour Party (NILP) withJack Macgougan leading anti-Partition members out and affiliating branches to the Dublin party, joined by other left-wing and nationalist representatives and branded locally as "Irish Labour".[29] At Westminster,Jack Beattie heldBelfast West from1951 to1955;[30] theBritish Labour party refused Beattie itswhip.[31] At Stormont,Belfast Dock was won byMurtagh Morgan in1953 andPaddy Devlin in1962,[32] but Devlin in 1964 left for theRepublican Labour Party and Irish Labour contested no further Westminster or Stormont elections.[29][33] In the1949 local elections it won 7 seats onBelfast City Council, 6 (unopposed) onArmaghurban district council (UDC) and one onDungannon UDC.[29] InDerry, the party collapsed whenStephen McGonagle left after 1952.[34] It was strongest inWarrenpoint andNewry UDCs, winning control of the former in 1949 and the latterin 1958, retaining seats in both until their1973 abolition. Tommy Markey was expelled from the party in 1964 for taking a salute as Newry council chair from theIrish Guards.[35] Party branches still existed in Warrenpoint and Newry as late as 1982,[33] though candidates were heavily defeated inNewry and Mourne District Council at the1973 local elections.[36] TheSocial Democratic and Labour Party founded in 1970 took most of Irish Labour's voters and soon had its formal endorsement.
The seventies will be socialist. At the next general election Labour must . . . make a major breakthrough in seats and votes. It must demonstrate convincingly that it has the capacity to become the Government of this country. Our present position is a mere transition phase on the road to securing the support of the majority of our people. At the next general election (we) must face the electorate with a clear-cut alternative to the conservatism of the past and present; and emerge . . . . as the Party which will shape the seventies. What I offer now is the outline of a new society, a New Republic.[37]
Brendan Corish became the new Labour leader in 1960. As leader, he advocated for more socialist policies to be adopted by the party; although initially tempering by this describing these policies as "a form ofChristian socialism",[38] he would later feel comfortable enough to drop the "Christian" prefix. In contrast to his predecessors, Corish adopted an anti-coalition stance. He attempted to give his fractious, divided party a coherent national identity, lurched it to the left and insisted Labour was the natural party ofsocial justice.[39] In the late 1960s, Labour began to embrace the 'New Left,' and Corish presented hisA New Republic document at the 1967 Labour national conference, alongside a famous speech which declared that "The seventies will be socialist", which later became a Labour campaign slogan.[37] Corish's new socialist direction for Labour was generally well-received internally; the membership's faith in Corish had already been bolstered by encouraging election results in1965 and1967.[40][41][42][43][44]
Although Labour's share of the vote improved to 17% in the1969 Irish general election, the best in 50 years, the party only won 17 seats - 5 fewer than in the 1965 general election. The result dented Corish's confidence and caused him to reconsider his anti-coalition stance.[39]
Labour promoted a Eurosceptic outlook in the 1961 general election,[45] and in 1972, the party campaigned against membership of theEuropean Economic Community (EEC).[46]
Between 1973 and 1977, the Labour Party formed acoalition government with Fine Gael. The coalition partners lost the subsequent1977 general election, and Corish resigned immediately after the defeat and was succeeded byFrank Cluskey following aleadership contest.
In 1977, shortly after the election defeat, members grouped around the Liaison Committee for the Labour Left split from Labour and formed the short-livedSocialist Labour Party. From 1981 to 1982 and from 1982 to 1987, the Labour Party participated in coalition governments withFine Gael. While serving in coalition Labour was successful in averting steep cuts in social welfare favoured by Fine Gael.[47] Labour ministers also presided over a number of social policy initiatives such as a Family Income Supplement, a child care protection bill, a Maternity Benefit,[48] a social employment scheme, the establishment of a Youth employment agency, and the adoption of an equa treatment directive.[49] Nevertheless, as noted by one study, “voters did not reward them. Instead they were disappointed by Labour's inability to implement more of its own policies (Marsh and Mitchell 1999:49).”[47]
In the later part of the second of these coalition terms, the country's poor economic and fiscal situation required strict curtailing ofgovernment spending, and the Labour Party bore much of the blame for unpopular cutbacks inhealth and otherpublic services. The nadir for the Labour party was the1987 general election where it received only 6.4% of the vote. Its vote was increasingly threatened by the growth of the Marxist and more radicalWorkers' Party, particularly in Dublin. Fianna Fáil formed aminority government from 1987 to 1989 and then a coalition with theProgressive Democrats.
The 1980s saw fierce disagreements between the wings of the party. The more radical elements, Labour Left, led by such figures asEmmet Stagg,Sam Nolan, Frank Buckley andHelena Sheehan, and Militant Tendency, led byJoe Higgins, opposed the idea of Labour entering into coalition government with either of the majorcentre-right parties (Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael).[50][51] At the 1989 Labour Party conference inTralee a number ofsocialist andTrotskyist activists, organised around theMilitant Tendency and their internal newspaper, were expelled. Amongst those expelled included future TDsClare Daly,Ruth Coppinger andMick Barry as well asJoe Higgins, who went on to found theSocialist Party in 1996.[52][53]
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The early 1990s saw a sustained period of growth for the Labour Party. In 1990 former Labour SenatorMary Robinson became the firstPresident of Ireland to have been proposed by the Labour Party. Although she had contested the election as an independent candidate, having resigned from the party over her opposition to theAnglo Irish Agreement, her victory was generally considered as reflecting very well on Labour, who had supported her campaign.[54] Not only was it the first time a woman held the office but it was the first time, apart fromDouglas Hyde, that a non-Fianna Fáil candidate was elected. It was also in 1990 thatLimerick EastTDJim Kemmy'sDemocratic Socialist Party merged into the Labour Party, and in 1992Sligo–Leitrim TDDeclan Bree'sIndependent Socialist Party also followed suit and joined the Labour Party.
At the1992 general election the Labour Party won a record 19.3% of the first preference votes, more than twice its share in the1989 general election. The party's representation inthe Dáil doubled to 33 seats in a momentum swing dubbed by the Irish national media as the "Spring Tide", who attributed much of the surge in the party's popularity to its leaderDick Spring.[55] After a period of negotiations, the Labour Party formed a coalition withFianna Fáil, taking office in January 1993 as the23rd government of Ireland. Fianna Fáil leaderAlbert Reynolds remained asTaoiseach, and Labour Party leader Dick Spring becameTánaiste andMinister for Foreign Affairs.
After less than two years the government fell in a controversy over the appointment ofAttorney General,Harry Whelehan, as president of theHigh Court. The parliamentary arithmetic had changed as a result of Fianna Fáil's loss of two seats inby-elections in June, where the Labour Party itself had performed disastrously. On the pretext that the Labour Party voters were not happy with involvement with Fianna Fáil, Dick Spring withdrew his support for Reynolds as Taoiseach. The Labour Party negotiated a new coalition, the first time in Irish political history that one coalition replaced another without a general election. Between 1994 and 1997Fine Gael, the Labour Party, andDemocratic Left governed in the24th government of Ireland. Dick Spring became Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs again. Labour greatly influenced the policy document for the 1993-1994 coalition, with one observer noting that Fianna Fáil's policy document for the coalition "contained lots of our policies, While swaths of texts were lifted from our manifesto". (Bowcott 1993)[56]
The Labour Party presented the1997 general election, held just weeks after spectacular electoral victories for the FrenchSocialist Party and BritishLabour Party, as the first-ever choice between a government of the left and one of the right; but the party, as had often been the case following its participation in coalitions, lost support and lost half of its TDs. Labour's losses were so severe that while Fine Gael gained seats, it still came up well short of the support it needed to keep Bruton in office. This, combined with a poor showing by Labour Party candidateAdi Roche in the subsequent election forPresident of Ireland, led to Spring's resignation as party leader.
In 1997Ruairi Quinn became the new Labour Party leader. Following negotiations in 1999, the Labour Party merged withDemocratic Left, keeping the name of the larger partner.[57] This had been previously opposed by the former leader Dick Spring. Members of Democratic Left in Northern Ireland were invited to join the Irish Labour Party but were not permitted to organise.[58]
Quinn resigned as leader in 2002 following the poor results for the Labour Party in the2002 general election. Former Democratic Left TDPat Rabbitte became the new leader, the first to be elected directly by the members of the party.
Prior to the 2004 local elections, party leader Pat Rabbitte had endorsed a mutual transfer pact with Fine Gael leaderEnda Kenny. Rabbitte proposed an extension of this strategy, named "theMullingar Accord", going into the 2007 general election. Although Rabbitte's strategy was opposed by some influential members such asBrendan Howlin[59] it was supported by approximately 80% of Labour conference delegates. However, at2007 general election the Labour Party failed to increase its seat total and had a net loss of 1 seat, returning with 20 seats. Fine Gael, the Labour Party, theGreen Party and independents did not have enough seats to form a government. Pat Rabbitte resisted calls to enter negotiations withFianna Fáil on forming a government. Eventually, Fianna Fáil entered government with theProgressive Democrats and the Green Party with the support of independents. In the aftermath, Rabbitte resigned as Labour Party leader in late August, taking responsibility for the general election result. In his wakeEamon Gilmore was elected, unopposed, as the new Labour leader.
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Following the onset of thepost-2008 Irish economic downturn, Labour's political fortunes began to alter rapidly. At thelocal elections of 5 June 2009, the Labour Party added 31 new councillors to their tally and performed particularly well in the Dublin region. At the2009 European Parliament election held on the same day, the Labour Party increased its number of seats from one to three, retaining the seat ofProinsias De Rossa in theDublin constituency, while gaining seats in theEast constituency withNessa Childers, and in theSouth constituency withAlan Kelly. It was the first time since the 1979 European Parliament Elections that Labour had equalled the number of seats held in Europe by either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael.[60]
On 11 June 2010, a poll by MRBI was published inThe Irish Times which, for the first time in the history of the state, showed the Labour Party as the most popular, at 32%, ahead of Fine Gael at 28% and Fianna Fáil at 17%. Eamon Gilmore's approval ratings were also the highest of any Dáil leader, standing at 46%.[61]
At the2011 general election, Labour received 19.5% of first preference votes, and 37 seats.[62] It was the most seats the Labour party had ever won in the Dáil, and their highest percentage of first-preference-votes since the Spring Tide of 1992.[62] On 9 March 2011, it became the junior partner in acoalition government with Fine Gael for the period of the31st Dáil.[63] Eamon Gilmore was appointed asTánaiste (deputy prime minister) andMinister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
InOctober 2011 the Labour Party's candidate,Michael D. Higgins was elected as the 9th (and current)President of Ireland. On the same day, Labour'sPatrick Nulty won theDublin West by-election, making the Labour Party the first government party in Ireland to win a by-election since 1982.
Labour lost seven parliamentary members over the course of the 31st Dáil. On 15 November 2011Willie Penrose resigned over the closure of an army barracks in his constituency.[64] On 1 December 2011Tommy Broughan lost the party whip after voting against the government in relation to the Bank Guarantee Scheme.[65] On 6 December 2011Patrick Nulty lost the party whip after voting against the VAT increase in the2012 budget.[66] On 26 September 2012Róisín Shortall resigned as Minister of State for Primary Care and lost the party whip after conflict with theMinister for HealthJames Reilly.[67] On 13 December 2012Colm Keaveney lost the party whip after voting against the cut to the respite care grant in the2013 budget.[68] SenatorJames Heffernan lost the party whip in December 2012 after voting against the government on the Social Welfare Bill.[69]MEPNessa Childers resigned from the parliamentary party on 5 April 2013, saying that she "no longer want[ed] to support a Government that is actually hurting people",[70] and she resigned from the party in July 2013. In June 2013, Patrick Nulty and Colm Keaveney resigned from the Labour Party.[71] Willie Penrose returned to the parliamentary Labour Party in October 2013.[72]
On 26 May 2014, Gilmore resigned as party leader after Labour's poor performance in theEuropean andlocal elections. On 4 July 2014,Joan Burton won theleadership election, defeatingAlex White by 78% to 22%.[73] On her election, she said that the Labour Party "would focus on social repair, and govern more with the heart".[73] Burton was the first woman to lead the Labour Party.
In the2016 general election, Labour suffered the worst general election in its history, winning only 7 of the 37 seats they had won in 2011 and receiving 6.6% of first preference votes.[74][75] In May, Burton announced that she would step down as leader of the party.[76]
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On 20 May 2016,Brendan Howlin waselected unopposed as leader; following his election, some within the party expressed dissatisfaction that there was no member's ballot held, as prospective leadership candidateAlan Kelly did not receive a nomination from any sitting TD.[77] Howlin stated that as leader he was prepared to bring Labour back into government, citing the lack of influence on policy from opposition.[78] He denied any suggestions that Labour could lose any further support from their 2016 performance, stating "We're not some outfit that comes out of the morning mist and disappears again. We're the oldest party in the state".[79]
In theIrish local elections and theEuropean Parliament election of May 2019, despite a decreased vote share by 1.4%, Labour increased their seat count on local authorities to 57, an increase of six. However, the party failed to win a European seat, leaving theS&D Group unrepresented by an Irish MEP for the first time since 1984. At theFebruary 2020 election, the party's first preference vote dropped to 4.4%, a record low.[80] In the subsequentSeanad elections, Labour won 5 seats, which tied them withSinn Féin as the third-largest party in the House.
After the general election, Brendan Howlin announced his intention to step down as the leader of the Labour Party.[81] On 3 April 2020 Alan Kelly waselected as party leader, edging out fellow Dáil colleagueAodhán Ó Ríordáin 55% to 45%.[82] In July 2021, the party gained a seventh TD in the Dáil afterIvana Bacik won the2021 Dublin Bay South by-election. In March 2022, Kelly resigned suddenly as leader, less than two years into the role and having not led the party into an election. He did so upon being informed bySean Sherlock andDuncan Smith, both of whom had supported him in his leadership bid, along withMark Wall, that the parliamentary party had lost "collective confidence" in his leadership. The plan to remove him was devised by the parliamentary party in the home of SenatorMarie Sherlock, in the absence of Kelly. An internal report reportedly showed that every one of the party's nationally elected representatives were at risk of losing their seats in the next general election.[83][84] Kelly became emotional as he announced his resignation, stating that the decision by the parliamentary party was a "surprise" to him, but that he accepted it immediately.[85][86][87] On 24 March 2022Ivana Bacik was confirmed as the new leader of the party unopposed at a conference in Dublin.[88]
At the2024 European Parliament election, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin was elected in theDublin constituency, the first MEP elected for the party since 2009.[89] In the2024 Irish general election, Labour under Bacik's leadership nearly doubled their Dáil representation to 11 seats.
The Labour Party holds apro-European[90] stance and is a party of the centre-left[8][9][10][11][91] which has been described as asocial democratic[5][92] party but is referred to in its constitution as a democratic socialist party.[93] Its constitution refers to the party as a "movement of democratic socialists, social democrats, environmentalists, progressives, feminists (and) trade unionists".[93] Writing in theIrish Independent in 2011,Eamon Delaney described Labour as a "big tent party".[94]
The stance of the Labour Party has changed dramatically over time. In 1964 American historian Emmet Larkin described the Irish Labour Party as "the most opportunistically conservative Labour Party anywhere in the known world" due to its Catholic outlook in an Ireland where 95 percent of the population was Roman Catholic.[95] It was known for its longstanding unwillingness (along with Ireland's other major parties) to support any policy that could be construed as sympathetic to secularism or communism. However, from the 1980s it was associated with advocacy for socially liberal policies, with former leader Eamon Gilmore stating in 2007 that "more than any other political movement, it was Labour and its allies which drove the modernisation of the Irish state."[95]
In the past Labour has been referred to, derisively, as "the political wing of theSociety of St. Vincent de Paul."[96] That Labour was influenced by Catholicism is not unusual in the Irish context (likewise, both Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were also products of a predominantly Catholic society). Labour's ethos and often its language was profoundly Christian. Following the official separation of the Irish Labour Party and Irish Trade Union Congress into two different organisations in 1930, early drafts of Labour's constitution referred to the responsibilities of the 'Christian state', but these had all been removed by the time the constitution was put before the new party's conference for approval. However, the Free State's commitment to a full-scale devotional revival of Catholicism was reflected in the outlook and policies of the party.[96] The 'Starry Plough,' the traditional symbol of Labour, reflects a Catholic tradition and biblical reference to Isaiah 2:3-4, which is integral to its design.[97] Like Fianna Fáil, Labour embracedcorporatist policies, again influenced by the Catholic Church. This was deemed to be important for both in terms of winning electoral support from the lower and middle classes.[98] However, Labour later became associated with increasing secularism[99][100][101] and championing socially liberal causes in relation to contraception, divorce, LGBT rights and abortion.[102] Its support base also shifted greatly towardspostmaterialists.[103] The Labour Party also changed its position from Euroscepticism in 1972 to pro-Europeanism and ideological integration with European social democratic parties.[104][105]
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The Labour Party has been involved in various campaigns for LGBT rights and put forward many bills. The party was in government in 1993 when homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland, and it was President Mary Robinson, herself a longstanding LGBT advocate, who signed the bill into law.[106]Mervyn Taylor published the Employment Equality Bill in 1996, which was enacted in 1998, outlawing discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sexual orientation. Taylor also published the Equal Status Bill in 1997, enacted in 2000, outlawing discrimination in the provision of goods and services on grounds listed including sexual orientation.[107]
At the2002 general election, only the manifestos of theGreen Party and Labour explicitly referred to the rights of same-sex couples.[108]
In 2003, Labour LGBT was founded. This was the first time a political party in Ireland had formed an LGBT wing.[107]
In December 2006, Labour TD Brendan Howlin tabled a private member's civil unions bill inDáil Éireann,[109] proposing the legalisation of civil partnerships and adoption for same-sex couples.[110] The Fianna Fáil government amended the bill to delay it for six months time, however the Dáil was dissolved for the2007 Irish general election before this could happen. Labour again brought this bill before the Dáil in 2007 but it was voted down by the government, with theGreen Party, who had formerly supported gay marriage, also voting in opposition to the bill, with spokespersonCiarán Cuffe arguing that the bill was unconstitutional.
At their 2010 national conference Labour passed a motion calling for transgender rights and to legislate for a gender recognition act.[107]
During their time in government, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote.[111]
Labour supported the repeal of theEighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland in 2018[112] to legalise abortion, and canvassed for a Yes vote in that referendum.[113]
Alan Kelly sponsored a bill in 2020 that called for all workers to receive a legal right to sick pay, as well as paid leave for employees whose children have to stay home from school due toCOVID-19 measures.[114] The government amended this bill to delay it for six months, a decision that senatorMarie Sherlock branded as "unacceptable".[115]
In 2020, Labour TDAodhán Ó Riordáin successfully campaigned for Ireland's free school meals campaign to be extended across summer.[116]
Labour have called for all primary education to be made free by providing grants for books, uniforms and students, and ending the two tier pay system for teachers and secretaries.[117]
In 2020, Labour proposed building 80,000 social and affordable houses, investing €16 billion into housing and freezing rents.[118] In 2021, they called for a three-year rent freeze and a tax to be placed on vacant houses, as well as investment into student housing and preventing student housing from being converted to short term rentals.[119]
In their 2020 manifesto, Labour proposed spending an additional 1 billion euro per year on health and delivering free GP care for all under 18s.[120]
In 2021, Labour proposed nationalising two hospitals - one in Dublin and one in either Galway or Cork.[121]
In their climate manifesto in 2020, the party called for halving the country's emissions by 2030, supporting farms transitioning to more environmental forms of farming, restoring peatlands and bogs, banning offshore drilling and supporting ajust transition.[117]
The Labour Party supports the legalisation of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes, having outlined this policy in their submission to theCitizen's Assembly on drug use in July 2023.[122]
In 2017, Labour leader Brendan Howlin became the first traditional party leader to back the full decriminalisation ofcannabis in Ireland. This came after a motion endorsed by Aodhán Ó Riordáin supporting the legalisation of cannabis for recreational usage was passed at Labour conference.[123] Ó Riordáin had previously voiced his support for the decriminalisation of all drugs, stating that "About 70 per cent of the drugs cases that are before our courts at the moment are for possession for personal use, which to be honest is a complete waste of garda time and criminal justice time", saying that someone suffering from addiction "is fundamentally a patient, who should be surrounded by compassion, not somebody who should be sitting in a court room."[124]
The previous party leader Alan Kelly has stated that he supports thelegalisation of cannabis in Ireland on both medicinal and recreational grounds,[125] and current party leader Ivana Bacik has also spoken in support of the legalisation of cannabis.[126]
The party has called for a campaign to promote the usage of spoken Irish, funding outreach initiatives for minorities and marginalised communities and creating a fund for artists.[117]
The Labour Party donated itsarchives to theNational Library of Ireland in 2012. The records can be accessed by means of the call number: MS 49,494.[127] Subsequently, the records ofDemocratic Left were also donated to the library and can be access via the call number: MS 49,807.[128]
| Election | Leader | FPv | % | Seats | % | ± | Dáil | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | Thomas Johnson | 132,565 | 21.3 (#3) | 17 / 128 | 13.3 (#3) | New | 3rd | Opposition 5th ministry, 1st executive (PT SF/CnGminority) |
| 1923 | 111,939 | 10.6 (#4) | 14 / 153 | 9.2 (#4) |  3 | 4th | Opposition 2nd executive (CnG minority) | |
| June 1927 | 143,849 | 12.6 (#3) | 22 / 153 | 14.4 (#3) |  8 | 5th | Opposition 3rd executive (CnG minority) | |
| Sep. 1927 | 106,184 | 9.1 (#3) | 13 / 153 | 8.5 (#3) | 9 | 6th | Opposition 4th, 5th executive (CnG-FP minority) | |
| 1932 | Thomas J. O'Connell | 98,286 | 7.7 (#3) | 7 / 153 | 4.6 (#3) | 6 | 7th | Confidence and supply 6th executive (FF minority) |
| 1933 | William Norton | 79,221 | 5.7 (#4) | 8 / 153 | 5.2 (#4) | 1 | 8th | Confidence and supply 7th executive (FF minority) |
| 1937 | 135,758 | 10.3 (#3) | 13 / 138 | 9.4 (#3) | 5 | 9th | Confidence and supply 8th executive, 1st government (FF minority) | |
| 1938 | 128,945 | 10.0 (#3) | 9 / 138 | 6.5 (#3) | 4 | 10th | Opposition 2nd government (FFmajority) | |
| 1943 | 208,812 | 15.7 (#3) | 17 / 138 | 12.3 (#3) | 8 | 11th | Opposition 3rd government (FF minority) | |
| 1944 | 106,767 | 8.8 (#4) | 8 / 138 | 5.8 (#3) | 9 | 12th | Opposition 4th government (FF majority) | |
| 1948 | 115,073 | 8.7 (#3) | 14 / 147 | 9.5 (#3) | 6 | 13th | Government 5th government (FG-Lab-CnP-CnT- NL-MR-Ind majority) | |
| 1951 | 151,828 | 11.4 (#3) | 16 / 147 | 10.9 (#3) | 3[a] | 14th | Opposition 6th government (FF minority) | |
| 1954 | 161,034 | 12.1 (#3) | 19 / 147 | 12.9 (#3) | 3 | 15th | Government 7th government (FG-Lab-CnT minority) | |
| 1957 | 111,747 | 9.1 (#3) | 12 / 147 | 8.2 (#3) | 7 | 16th | Opposition 8th, 9th government (FF majority) | |
| 1961 | Brendan Corish | 136,111 | 11.6 (#3) | 16 / 144 | 11.1 (#3) | 4 | 17th | Opposition 10th government (FF minority) |
| 1965 | 192,740 | 15.4 (#3) | 22 / 144 | 15.3 (#3) | 6 | 18th | Opposition 11th, 12th government (FF majority) | |
| 1969 | 224,498 | 17.0 (#3) | 18 / 144 | 12.5 (#3) | 4 | 19th | Opposition 13th government (FF majority) | |
| 1973 | 184,656 | 13.7 (#3) | 19 / 144 | 13.2 (#3) | 1 | 20th | Government 14th government (FG-Lab majority) | |
| 1977 | 186,410 | 11.6 (#3) | 17 / 148 | 11.5 (#3) | 2 | 21st | Opposition 15th, 16th government (FF majority) | |
| 1981 | Frank Cluskey | 169,990 | 9.9 (#3) | 15 / 166 | 9.0 (#3) | 2 | 22nd | Government 17th government (FG-Lab minority) |
| Feb. 1982 | Michael O'Leary | 151,875 | 9.1 (#3) | 15 / 166 | 9.0 (#3) |  | 23rd | Opposition 18th government (FF minority) |
| Nov. 1982 | Dick Spring | 158,115 | 9.4 (#3) | 16 / 166 | 9.6 (#3) | 1 | 24th | Government 19th government (FG-Lab majority) |
| 1987 | 114,551 | 6.4 (#4) | 12 / 166 | 7.2 (#4) | 4 | 25th | Opposition 20th government (FF minority) | |
| 1989 | 156,989 | 9.5 (#3) | 15 / 166 | 9.0 (#3) | 3 | 26th | Opposition 21st, 22nd government (FF-PD majority) | |
| 1992 | 333,013 | 19.3 (#3) | 33 / 166 | 19.9 | 18 | 27th | Government 23rd government (FF-Lab majority) | |
| Government 24th government (FG-Lab-DL majority) | ||||||||
| 1997 | 186,044 | 10.4 (#3) | 17 / 166 | 10.2 (#3) | 16 | 28th | Opposition 25th government (FF-PD minority) | |
| 2002 | Ruairi Quinn | 200,130 | 10.8 (#3) | 20 / 166 | 12.1 (#3) | 1[b] | 29th | Opposition 26th government (FF-PD majority) |
| 2007 | Pat Rabbitte | 209,175 | 10.1 (#3) | 20 / 166 | 12.1 (#3) | | 30th | Opposition 27th, 28th government (FF-GP-PD/Ind majority) |
| 2011 | Eamon Gilmore | 431,796 | 19.5 (#2) | 37 / 166 | 22.3 (#2) | 17 | 31st | Government 29th government (FG-Labsupermajority) |
| 2016 | Joan Burton | 140,898 | 6.6 (#4) | 7 / 158 | 4.4 (#4) | 30 | 32nd | Opposition 30th, 31st government (FG-Ind minority) |
| 2020 | Brendan Howlin | 95,582 | 4.4 (#5) | 6 / 160 | 3.8 (#5) | 1 | 33rd | Opposition 32nd, 33rd, 34th government (FF-FG-GP majority) |
| 2024 | Ivana Bacik | 102,457 | 4.6 (#5) | 11 / 174 | 6.3 (#4) | 5 | 34th | Opposition 35th government (FF-FG-Ind majority) |
| Election | Seats won | ± | Position | First Pref votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | 5 / 60 | 1 | 2nd | 46,776 | 15.3% |
| Election | Candidate | 1st pref. votes | % | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | SupportedPatrick McCartan as an independent | ||||
| 1974 | SupportedCearbhall Ó Dálaigh with Fianna Fáil per agreement | ||||
| 1990 | Mary Robinson | 612,265 | 38.9% | — | 1 |
| 1997 | Adi Roche | 88,423 | 7.0% | 31.9 | 4 |
| 2011 | Michael D. Higgins | 701,101 | 39.6% | — | 1 |
| 2018 | Supported Michael D. Higgins as an independent | ||||
| 2025 | SupportingCatherine Connolly as an independent | ||||
| Election | Leader | 1st pref Votes | % | Seats | +/− | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Frank Cluskey | 193,898 | 14.48 (#3) | 4 / 15 | New | SOC |
| 1984 | Dick Spring | 93,656 | 8.36 (#3) | 0 / 15 | 4 | − |
| 1989 | 155,572 | 9.53 (#4) | 1 / 15 | 1 | SOC | |
| 1994 | 124,972 | 10.99 (#3) | 1 / 15 | 0 | PES | |
| 1999 | Ruairi Quinn | 121,542 | 8.73 (#3) | 1 / 15 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Pat Rabbitte | 188,132 | 10.56 (#4) | 1 / 13 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Eamon Gilmore | 254,669 | 13.92 (#3) | 3 / 12 | 2 | S&D |
| 2014 | 88,229 | 5.33 (#4) | 0 / 11 | 3 | − | |
| 2019 | Brendan Howlin | 52,753 | 3.14 (#6) | 0 / 13 | 0 | |
| 2024 | Ivana Bacik | 58,975 | 3.38 (#5) | 1 / 14 | 1 | S&D |
| Election | Leader | Seats (out of NI total) | Government | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | ± | |||
| 1950 | William Norton | 0 / 12 | | — |
| 1951 | 1 / 12 | 1 | Conservative | |
| 1955 | 0 / 12 | 1 | — | |
| Election | Body | Seats | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 8th Parliament | 1 / 52 | UUP Majority |
| 1958 | 9th Parliament | 0 / 52 | UUP Majority |
| 1962 | 10th Parliament | 1 / 52 | UUP Majority |
It no longer contests Northern Irish elections but endorses theSocial Democratic and Labour Party.
The Labour Party is a membership organisation consisting of Labour (Dáil) constituency councils, affiliatedtrade unions andsocialist societies[citation needed]. Members who are elected to parliamentary positions (Dáil, Seanad, European Parliament) form the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP). The party's decision-making bodies on a national level formally include the executive board (formerly known as the National Executive Committee), Labour Party Conference and Central Council. The executive board has responsibility for organisation and finance, with the Central Council being responsible for policy formation – although in practice the Parliamentary leadership has the final say on policy. The Labour Party Conference debates motions put forward by branches, constituency councils, party members sections and affiliates. Motions set principles of policy and organisation but are not generally detailed policy statements.
For many years Labour held to a policy of not allowing residents of Northern Ireland to apply for membership, instead supporting theSocial Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The National Conference approved the establishment of a Northern Ireland Members Forum but it has not agreed to contest elections there.
As a party with a constitutional commitment todemocratic socialism[129] founded by trade unions to represent the interests ofworking class people, Labour's link with unions has always been a defining characteristic of the party. Over time this link has come under increasing strain, with most craft based unions based in the public sector andIrish Congress of Trades Unions having disaffiliated since the 1950s. The remaining affiliated unions are primarily private sectorgeneral unions. Currently affiliated unions still send delegates to the National Conference in proportion to the size of their membership. Recent[when?] constitutional changes mean that in future, affiliated unions will send delegations based on the number of party members in their organisation.
Within the Labour Party there are different sections:
The Irish Labour Party constitution makes provision for both Trade Unions and Socialist Societies to affiliate to the party. There are currently seven Trade Unions affiliated to the Party:
Socialist Societies Affiliated[citation needed] to the Party:
| Name | Period | Constituency |
|---|---|---|
| Barry Desmond | 1982–1989 | Dún Laoghaire |
| Ruairi Quinn | 1989–1997 | Dublin South-East |
| Brendan Howlin | 1997–2002 | Wexford |
| Liz McManus | 2002–2007 | Wicklow |
| Joan Burton | 2007–2014 | Dublin West |
| Alan Kelly | 2014–2016 | Tipperary North |
| Position abolished | ||
| Name | Period | Panel or constituency |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Ferris | 1981–1989 | Agricultural Panel |
| Jack Harte | 1989–1993 | Labour Panel |
| Jan O'Sullivan | 1993–1997 | Administrative Panel |
| Joe Costello | 1997–2002 | Administrative Panel |
| Brendan Ryan | 2002–2007 | National University of Ireland |
| Alex White | 2007–2011 | Cultural and Educational Panel |
| Phil Prendergast | 2011 (acting) | Labour Panel |
| Ivana Bacik | 2011–2021 | Dublin University |
| Rebecca Moynihan | 2021–2025 | Administrative Panel |
The Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) is the section of the party that is made up of its members of theHouses of the Oireachtas and of theEuropean Parliament. As of September 2025 there are 14 members of the PLP: 11TDs and 2senators and oneMEP.
At the2014 local elections Labour lost more than half of local authority seats; 51 councillors were elected - this result led to the resignation of party leader, Eamon Gilmore. Following the2019 Irish local elections, the party had 57 local representatives.[131] In the2024 Irish local elections, the party returned 56 councillors.[132]
The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trades Union Congress
Just two years earlier, Mary Robinson was elected the country's first female President. Spring had nominated Robinson, a former Labour senator. And although she ran as an Independent, her success reflected well on the Labour Party.
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