Aontacht Éireann
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Aontacht Éireann | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 |
| Dissolved | 1984 |
| Ideology | Irish republicanism |
| Politics of the Republic of Ireland Political parties Elections |
|
Aontacht Éireann (Irish pronunciation: [ɯn̪ˠt̪ˠəxt̪ˠ eːɼən̪ˠ]) (English: Irish Unity) was an Irish political party founded by Kevin Boland, a former Fianna Fáil government minister and advocate of Irish republicanism.
Boland resigned from Dáil Éireann on 4 November 1970 as an act of sympathy with sacked ministers Neil Blaney and Charles Haughey, who were dismissed by Taoiseach Jack Lynch following their refusal to support Government policy on Northern Ireland and amid allegations of misuse of aid to Northern Ireland during the Arms Crisis. In May 1971, Boland resigned from Fianna Fáil; on 19 September 1971, he launched the new party before an audience of over one thousand delegates.[1]
Seán Sherwin, Fianna Fáil's young TD for Dublin South West, was the only serving member of the Dáil to join Aontacht Éireann.[1] Sherwin would later return to Fianna Fáil and serve as its National Organiser. Desmond Foley, who had served as Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin County North, resigned from the Dáil on the same day as Kevin Boland [2]; he also joined Aontacht Éireann upon its foundation. Captain James Kelly, who was implicated and then cleared in the Arms Trial, became Vice-Chairman of Aontacht Éireann.[3]
The party supported Northern Ireland's republicans more vehemently than Fianna Fáil. At the Irish general election, 1973, Boland and twelve other candidates, including Sherwin and Foley, stood for Dáil Éireann under the Aontacht Éireann banner. None was successful and the party received less than 1% of the total national vote.[1] Boland himself won only 6% of the vote in his constituency, Dublin County South.[4] He resigned as leader in 1976 and the remaining organisation was formally wound up in 1984.[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Gallagher (1985)
- ^ ElectionsIreland.org: Des Foley
- ^ Captain James J Kelly: A brief biography
- ^ ElectionsIreland.org: Kevin Boland
- ^ Barberis, McHugh and Tyldesley (2005)
[edit] References
- Barberis, Peter, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, 2005. Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organisations. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ISBN 0826458149, 9780826458148
- Gallagher, Michael, 1985. Political Parties in the Republic of Ireland. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719017424, 9780719017421
- Captain James J Kelly: A brief biography
- Elections Ireland (incomplete record of AE election candidates)
