View source for Workers' Party (Ireland)

{{Short description|Irish political party}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox political party
| name             = The Workers' Party
| logo             = Workers' Party (Ireland) logo.png
| logo_size        = 
| colorcode        = {{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}
| president        = Michael McCorry<ref>{{cite web | url=https://workersparty.ie/about-us/organisation/ | title=Governing Structure of the Workers' Party }}</ref> (disputed)
| founded          = 17 January 1970{{efn|The party emerged as the majority faction from a split in [[History of Sinn Féin|Sinn Féin]] in 1970, becoming known as ''Official Sinn Féin''. In the Republic of Ireland, it renamed itself as ''Sinn Féin The Workers' Party'' in 1977. In Northern Ireland it continued under the ''Republican Clubs'' name (first used by Sinn Féin to escape a 1964 ban) and later as ''Workers Party Republican Clubs''. Both sections adopted the current name in 1982.}}
| ideology         = [[Communism]]<br />[[Marxism–Leninism]]<br />[[Irish republicanism]]
| position         = [[Far-left politics|Far-left]]
| headquarters     = 8 Cabra Road,<br />[[Dublin]] 7, Ireland
| international    = [[International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties|IMCWP]]<br>WAP (disputed)<br>
[[European Communist Action|ECA]] (disputed)
| website          = {{Official URL}}
| country          = the Republic of Ireland
| country2         = Northern Ireland
| native_name      = Páirtí na nOibrithe
| youth_wing       = {{Nowrap|Workers' Party Youth<ref>"WFDY – CENA Member Organizations". World Federation of Democratic Youth. June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2022.</ref>}}
| european         = [[Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties|INITIATIVE]] (2013–2023)
| colours          = {{colorbox|{{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}} Red
| split            = [[Sinn Féin]]
}}
'''The Workers' Party''' ({{langx|ga|Páirtí na nOibrithe}}) is an [[Irish republican]], [[Marxist–Leninist]] [[communist party]] active in both the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name=register>{{cite web |title=Register of Political Parties in Ireland |url=http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/housesoftheoireachtas/contentassets/documents/registerofpoliticalparties/Register-November-2010.doc |work=Houses of the Oireachtas |date=23 November 2010 |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924123931/http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/media/housesoftheoireachtas/contentassets/documents/registerofpoliticalparties/Register-November-2010.doc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=registerNI>{{cite web |title=NI Register of Political Parties |url=http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/Registrations?currentPage=1&rows=30&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=asc&open=filter&et=pp&et=ppm&register=ni&regStatus=registered&optCols=EntityStatusName |publisher=Electoral Commission |access-date=17 February 2020 |archive-date=17 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917082911/http://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/Search/Registrations?currentPage=1&rows=30&sort=RegulatedEntityName&order=asc&open=filter&et=pp&et=ppm&register=ni&regStatus=registered&optCols=EntityStatusName |url-status=live }}</ref>

The party formerly asserted a claim of direct descent from the [[History of Sinn Féin|original Sinn Féin organisation]] founded in 1905 by [[Arthur Griffith]]. It took its current form in 1970 following a division within Sinn Féin, in which the majority faction followed the leadership in a [[Marxist]] direction. It was known as '''Sinn Féin (Gardiner Place)''' or '''Official Sinn Féin''', to distinguish it from the minority faction of "Sinn Féin (Kevin Street)" or "Provisional Sinn Féin". It changed its name from Sinn Féin to '''Sinn Féin The Workers' Party''' in 1977 and then to the '''Workers' Party''' in 1982. In that time, Provisional Sinn Féin came to be known simply as [[Sinn Féin]]. Both groups were tied to corresponding paramilitary groups, with Official Sinn Féin tied to the [[Official Irish Republican Army]].

By the late 1980s, the party had broken through electorally in the Republic of Ireland and at its peak it elected 7 [[Teachta Dála|TDs]] at the [[1989 Irish general election|1989 general election]] and 21 councillors at the [[1991 Irish local elections|1991 local elections]]. However, following the [[fall of the Berlin Wall]] and [[collapse of the Soviet Union]] in the early 1990s, almost all the party's elected members broke away and formed [[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]] in 1992. Since 1992 the party has existed as a [[microparty]]. A 2021 split in the party left the party's status disputed.

==Name==
In 1971, it registered to contest Dáil and local elections in the Republic of Ireland under the name '''Sinn Féin'''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sinn Fein can now contest elections |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1971/0804/Pg011.html#Ar01106 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |date=4 August 1971 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> From the early to mid-1970s, it was known as Official Sinn Féin or ''Sinn Féin (Gardiner Place)'' to distinguish it from the rival offshoot Provisional Sinn Féin, or ''Sinn Féin (Kevin Street)''. Gardiner Place had symbolic power as the headquarters of [[Sinn Féin]] for decades before the 1970 split.

At its [[Ardfheis]] in January 1977, Official Sinn Féin renamed itself ''Sinn Féin – The Workers' Party''. Its first seats in [[Dáil Éireann]] were won under this new name. A motion at the 1979 Ardfheis to remove the ''Sinn Féin'' prefix from the party name was narrowly defeated. This change would come about three years later.<ref name=lost/>

In [[Northern Ireland]], Sinn Féin was organised under the name '''Republican Clubs''' to avoid a ban on Sinn Féin candidates (introduced in 1964 under Northern Ireland's [[Emergency Powers Act (Northern Ireland) 1926|Emergency Powers Act]]). The Officials continued to use this name after 1970,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/worgan.htm |title=Abstracts on Organisations - 'W' |publisher= CAIN Archive - Conflict and Politics in Northern Ireland |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206171810/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/worgan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and later used the name '''Workers' Party Republican Clubs'''. In 1982, both the northern and southern sections of the party became The Workers' Party.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ireland Today: Anatomy of a Changing State |author-link=Gemma Hussey |first=Gemma |last=Hussey |year=1993 |pages=172–173, 194}}</ref>

The Workers' Party is sometimes referred to as the "Sticks" or "Stickies" because in the 1970s it used adhesive stickers for the [[Easter Lily (badge)|Easter Lily]] emblem in its 1916 commemorations, whereas Provisional Sinn Féin used a pin for theirs.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party |first1=Brian |last1=Hanley |first2=Scott |last2=Millar |year=2010 |page=151}}</ref>

==History==

===Origins===
{{About||early history|History of Sinn Féin|}}

The modern origins of the party date from the early 1960s. After the failure of the [[Irish Republican Army (1922–1969)|then IRA's]] 1956–1962 [[Border campaign (IRA)|border campaign]], the republican movement, with a new military and political leadership, undertook a complete reappraisal of its {{lang|fr|raison d'être}}.<ref name=lost>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}}</ref> Through the 1960s, some leading figures in the movement, such as [[Cathal Goulding]], [[Seán Garland]], [[Billy McMillen]], [[Tomás Mac Giolla]], moved steadily to the left, even to [[Marxism]], as a result of their own reading and thinking and contacts with the Irish and international left. This angered more traditional republicans, who wanted to stick to the national question and armed struggle. Also involved in this debate was the [[Connolly Association]].<ref>''Patterns of Betrayal: the flight from Socialism'', Workers Party pamphlet, Repsol Ltd, Dublin, May 1992, page 74</ref> This group's analysis saw the primary obstacle to [[Irish unity]] as the continuing division between the Protestant and Catholic working classes. This it attributed to the "[[divide and rule]]" policies of [[capitalism]], whose interests were served by the working classes remaining divided. Military activity was seen as counterproductive, because its effect was to further entrench [[sectarian]] divisions. The left-wing faction believed the working classes could be united in class struggle to overthrow their common rulers, with a 32-county socialist republic being the inevitable outcome.<ref name="lost" />

However, this [[Marxist]] outlook became unpopular with many of the more traditionalist republicans, and the party/army leadership was criticised for failing to defend northern Catholic enclaves from [[Ulster loyalism|loyalist]] attacks (these debates took place against the background of [[The Troubles#Beginning|the violent beginning]] of what would be termed [[the Troubles]]). A growing minority within the rank-and-file wanted to maintain traditional militarist policies aimed at ending British rule in [[Northern Ireland]].<ref name=lost/> An equally contentious issue involved whether to or not to continue with the policy of [[abstentionism]], that is, the refusal of elected representatives to take their seats in British or Irish legislatures. A majority of the leadership favoured abandoning this policy.

A group consisting of [[Seán Mac Stiofáin]], [[Dáithí Ó Conaill]], [[Seamus Twomey]], and others, established themselves as a "Provisional Army Council" in 1969 in anticipation of a contentious 1970 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (delegate conference).<ref name=lost/> At the Ard Fheis, the leadership of Sinn Féin failed to attain the required two-thirds majority to change the party's position on abstentionism. The debate was charged with allegations of vote-rigging and expulsions. When the Ard Fheis went on to pass a vote of confidence in the ''official'' Army Council (which had already approved an end to the abstentionist policy), [[Ruairí Ó Brádaigh]] led the minority in a walk-out,<ref>''Sinn Féin: A Hundred Turbulent Years'', Brian Feeney, O'Brien Press, Dublin 2002, {{ISBN|0-86278-695-9}} pg. 250-1, ''Sinn Féin: A Century of Struggle'', Parnell Publications, Mícheál MacDonncha, 2005, {{ISBN|0-9542946-2-9}}</ref> and went to a prearranged meeting in [[Parnell Square]] where they announced the establishment of a "caretaker" executive of Sinn Féin.<ref>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of The Official IRA and The Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley & Scott Millar, Penguin Ireland (2009), {{ISBN|978-1-84488-120-8}} p.146</ref> The dissident council became known as the "Provisional Army Council" and its party and military wing as Sinn Féin and the Provisional IRA, while those remaining became known as Official Sinn Féin and the [[Official IRA]].<ref>Richard Sinnott (1995), ''Irish Voters Decide: Voting behaviour in elections and referendums since 1918'', Manchester University Press, p.59</ref> Official Sinn Féin, under the leadership of [[Tomás Mac Giolla]], remained aligned to Goulding's Official IRA.<ref>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}} pp. 286–336</ref>

A key factor in the split was the desire of those who became the Provisionals to make military action the key object of the organisation, rather than a simple rejection of leftism.<ref>{{cite book|first=Henry |last=McDonald |author-link=Henry McDonald (writer) |title=Gunsmoke and Mirrors |date=2008 |isbn=978-0-7171-4298-9 |page=28|publisher=Gill & Macmillan }}</ref><ref>Stephen Collins, ''The Power Game: Fianna Fáil since Lemass'', {{ISBN|0-86278-588-X}}, p. 61</ref> The pre-split leadership, they stated, had attempted to replace the programme of Wolfe Tone and James Connolly with "the foreign socialism of Marx and Mao". If this had gone unchecked, their argument went, the "traditional" IRA would have been replaced by the “so-called National Liberation Movement”, including Communist Party members.<ref>{{Cite news |first=John |last=Mulqueen|title='We serve neither Queen nor Commisar': The birth of the Provisional IRA |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/we-serve-neither-queen-nor-commisar-the-birth-of-the-provisional-ira-1.4150357 |date=27 January 2020 |access-date=2024-01-13 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref>

In 1977, Official Sinn Féin ratified the party's new name—"Sinn Féin The Workers' Party"—without dissension.<ref>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}} p. 336</ref> According to Richard Sinnott, this "symbolism" was completed in April 1982 when the party became simply the Workers' Party.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinnott |first=Richard |title=Irish Voters Decide: Voting Behaviour in Elections and Referendums Since 1918 |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=1995 |isbn=9780719040375 |location=Manchester and New York |page=59 |quote=The change was symbolised in 1977 by the alteration of the party's name to Sinn Féin The Workers' Party, the symbolism being completed in April 1982, when the party became simply the Workers' Party.}}</ref>

===Political development===
====OIRA ceasefire====
[[File:Tomás Mac Giolla (cropped).jpg|thumb|200px|[[Tomás Mac Giolla]] served as leader of the Workers' Party for over a quarter of a century]]
Although the Official IRA became drawn into the spiralling violence of the early period of conflict in [[Northern Ireland]], it almost immediately reduced its military campaign against the [[United Kingdom]]'s armed presence in Northern Ireland, declaring a permanent ceasefire in May 1972. Following this, the movement's political development increased rapidly throughout the 1970s.<ref name=lost/>

On the national question, the Officials saw the struggle against religious sectarianism and bigotry as their primary task. The party's strategy stemmed from the "stages theory": firstly, working-class unity within Northern Ireland had to be achieved, followed by the establishment of a [[united Ireland]], and finally a socialist society would be created in Ireland.<ref>See Swan,(pgs 303,330) and Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, ''The Lost Revolution'', 2009 (pgs. 220, 256–7).</ref>

==== IRSP/INLA split and feud ====
In 1974, the Official Republican Movement split over the ceasefire and the direction of the organisation. This led to the formation of the [[Irish Republican Socialist Party]] (IRSP) with [[Seamus Costello]] (whom the [[Official Irish Republican Army|Official IRA]] had expelled) as its chairperson. Also formed on the same day was IRSP's paramilitary wing, the [[Irish National Liberation Army]] (INLA). A number of tit-for-tat killings occurred in a subsequent feud until a truce was agreed in 1977.<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = English
 | first1 = Richard
 | author-link1 = Richard English
 | year = 2003
 | chapter = 4: The Politics of Violence 1972-6
 | title = Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WxJutBLDxg0C
 | location = Oxford
 | publisher = Oxford University Press
 | publication-date = 2004
 | page = 177ff
 | isbn = 9780195177534
 }}
</ref>

In 1977, the party published and accepted as policy a document called the ''Irish Industrial Revolution''.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://cedarlounge.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/iir.pdf|title=The Irish Industrial Revolution|year=1978|author=The Workers' Party|isbn=0860640140|publisher=Repsol|edition=2|access-date=22 September 2010|archive-date=28 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128160409/http://cedarlounge.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/iir.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Written by [[Eoghan Harris]] and Eamon Smullen,<ref name=lost/> it outlined the party's economic stance and declared that the ongoing violence in Northern Ireland was "distracting working class attention from the class struggle to a mythical national question". The policy document used Marxist terminology: it identified [[US imperialism]] as the now-dominant political and economic force in the southern state and attacked the failure of the national [[bourgeoisie]] to develop Ireland as a modern economic power.<ref>''The Politics of Illusion: A Political History of the I.R.A.'' by Henry Patterson, (1997) and ''Official Irish Republicanism'' by Swan.</ref>

Official Sinn Féin gravitated towards [[Marxism-Leninism]] and became fiercely critical of the [[physical force Irish republicanism]] still espoused by Provisional Sinn Féin. Its new approach to the Northern conflict was typified by the slogan it would adopt: "Peace, Democracy, Class Politics". It aimed to replace [[sectarian]] politics with a class struggle which would unite [[Catholic]] and [[Protestant]] workers. The slogan's echo of [[Vladimir Lenin]]'s "Peace, Bread, Land" was indicative of the party's new source of inspiration. Official Sinn Féin also built up fraternal relations with the USSR and with socialist, workers' and [[communism|communist]] parties around the world.<ref name=lost/>

Throughout the 1980s, the party came to staunchly oppose republican [[political violence]], controversially to the point of recommending cooperating with British security forces. They were one of the few organisations on the left of Irish politics to oppose the INLA/Provisional IRA [[1981 Irish hunger strike]].<ref name=lost/>

The Workers' Party (especially the faction around Harris) strongly criticised traditional [[Irish republicanism]], causing some of its critics such as [[Vincent Browne]] and [[Paddy Prendeville]] to accuse it of having an attitude to Northern Ireland that was close to [[Ulster unionism]].<ref>
''The Longest War: Northern Ireland and the IRA'' by K. Kelley (1988) claimed that SFWP's attitude to the North was "indistinguishable in its structural form from that held by most Unionists" (pg. 270). See also Swan,''Official Irish Republicanism'', Chapter 8, and ''Politics in the Republic of Ireland'' by John Coakley and Michael Gallagher (2004), Pg. 28
</ref><ref>
One of Harris' critics, Derry Kelleher, accused him of adopting the [[Two nations theory (Ireland)|two nations theory]] associated with [[Conor Cruise O'Brien]]; see Kelleher's book, ''Buried Alive in Ireland'' (2001), Greystones, County Wicklow: Justice Books.(pp. 252,294).
</ref>

===Ned Stapleton Cumann inside RTÉ===
Part of the party's plan to gain influence in the Republic of Ireland was the formation and maintenance of a secret branch (''[[cumann]]''), the [[Ned Stapleton Cumann]], inside Ireland's national broadcaster [[RTÉ]]. Centred around the leadership of Eoghan Harris, the members were all employees of RTÉ and many of them were journalists. Members included [[Charlie Bird]], [[John Caden]] and [[Marian Finucane]]. The branch started in the early 1970s and continued to operate in secrecy<ref>{{cite news |last= Heaney |first= Mick |date= 3 January 2012 |title=The battle for political supremacy in the newsroom |url= https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/the-battle-for-political-supremacy-in-the-newsroom-1.438445 |newspaper= [[Irish Times]] |access-date= 27 February 2020 |archive-date= 27 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200227054019/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/the-battle-for-political-supremacy-in-the-newsroom-1.438445 |url-status= live }}</ref> until the Worker's Party broke apart in the early 1990s as the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Soviet Union collapsed]] (1991) and likewise the Workers' Party saw a [[#The 1992 split|major split]] with the formation of the [[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]] (1992). Remaining undetected was fundamental to the existence of the Cumann, as officially RTÉ reporters were not allowed to have party-political affiliations, in order to appear objective as journalists. The Cumann was influential within RTÉ, and used its position to shape the output of RTÉ programming; they pushed for narratives which reflected the official Sinn Féin/Workers' Party outlook, particularly in relation to the [[Provisional IRA]].<ref name="revolutionaries working inside RTÉ">{{cite news |date= 30 August 2009 |title= The story of the revolutionaries working inside RTÉ| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6814880.ece| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301232732/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6814880.ece| url-status=dead| archive-date=1 March 2011|access-date= 27 February 2020}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book
 | last= Corcoran |first= Farrel John |date= 2004
 | title= RTÉ and the Globalisation of Irish Television
 |publisher= Intellect | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IBWF7vQ1vfQC&q=worker%27s+party+rte+cumann+Ned+Stapleton&pg=PT77
 | isbn= 9781841500904
}}
</ref>

One programme impacted by the Cumann, [[Today Tonight (Irish TV programme)|''Today Tonight'']], aired 4 nights a week and focused on investigative journalism. Although not directly involved with the show, the Cumann members ensured that SFWP members regularly appeared on the programme without having to acknowledge their membership. The Cumann was also able to influence one of RTÉ's flagship shows [[The Late Late Show (Irish talk show)|''The Late Late Show'']], and placed SFWP activists into the show's studio audience, a studio audience who often took part in discussions on the show.<ref name="revolutionaries working inside RTÉ" />

During [[1981 Irish hunger strike]], the Cumann was deeply annoyed by the positive coverage that the hunger strikers (such as [[Bobby Sands]]) began to receive, as they were aligned with the Provisionals. In response, they produced pieces which focused on the victims of violence by the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland.<ref name="revolutionaries working inside RTÉ" />

===1992 split between Workers' Party and Democratic Left===
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| width = 150
| total_width = 300
| image1 = Democratic_Left_logo.png
| image2 = Proinsias De Rossa, 1996 (cropped).jpg
| caption1   = Logo of the Democratic Left
| caption2   = [[Proinsias De Rossa]] 
| caption_align = center
| footer = Proinsias De Rossa led his faction out of the Workers' Party and into [[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]], taking with them the vast majority of the Workers' Party's elected representatives.
| footer_align = centre
}}
In early 1992, following a failed attempt to change the organisation's constitution, six of the party's seven TDs, its MEP, numerous councillors and a significant minority of its membership broke off to form [[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]], a party which later merged with the [[Labour Party (Ireland)|Labour Party]] in 1999.

The reasons for the split were twofold. Firstly, a faction led by [[Proinsias De Rossa]] wanted to move the party towards an acceptance of free-market economics.<ref>Proinsias De Rossa, 'The case for a new departure Making Sense March–April 1992</ref> Following the collapse of communism in eastern Europe, they felt that the Workers' Party's Marxist stance was now an obstacle to winning support at the polls. Secondly, media accusations had once again surfaced regarding the continued existence of the Official IRA which, it was alleged, remained armed and involved in fund-raising robberies, money laundering and other forms of criminality.<ref>BBC Spotlight programme, 'Sticking to their guns', June 1991</ref>

De Rossa and his supporters sought to distance themselves from alleged paramilitary activity at a special Árd Fheis held at [[Dún Laoghaire]] on 15 February 1992. A motion proposed by De Rossa and General Secretary [[Des Geraghty]] sought to stand down the existing membership, elect an 11-member provisional executive council and make several other significant changes in party structures was defeated. The motion to "reconstitute" the party achieved the support of 61% of delegates. However, this was short of the two-thirds majority needed to change the Workers' Party constitution. The Workers' Party later claimed that there was vote rigging by the supporters of the De Rossa motion.<ref>Patterns of Betrayal, the Flight from Socialism, Workers Party, 1992, page 11</ref> As a result of the conference's failure to adopt the motion, De Rossa and his supporters split from the organisation and established a new party which was temporarily known as "New Agenda" before the permanent name of "Democratic Left" was adopted.<ref>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}}, p. 588</ref> In the South the rump of the party was left with seven councillors and one [[Teachta Dála|TD]].

In the North, before the 1992 split, the party had four councillors – Tom French stayed with the party, Gerry Cullen (Dungannon) and Seamus Lynch (Belfast) joined New Agenda/Democratic Left, and David Kettyles ran in subsequent elections in Fermanagh as an Independent or Progressive Socialist.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg89.htm |title=The 1989 Local Government Elections, www.ark.ac.uk |publisher=Ark.ac.uk |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=7 December 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031207133631/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg89.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

While the majority of public representatives left with De Rossa, many members remained in the Workers' Party. Sean Garland condemned those who broke away as "careerists" and social democrats who had taken flight after the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] and labelled them "liquidators".<ref>Sean Garland, 'Beware of hidden agendas' Making Sense March–April 1992</ref> [[Marian Donnelly]] replaced De Rossa as president from 1992 to 1994. [[Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)|Tom French]] became president in 1994, and served for four years until [[Sean Garland]] was elected president in 1998. Garland retired as president in May 2008, and was replaced by [[Mick Finnegan]] who served until September 2014, being replaced by Michael Donnelly<ref>''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}}, p. 600</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://workersparty.ie/keynote-address-of-party-president-michael-donnelly/|title=Keynote address of Party President Michael Donnelly|website=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=13 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513011222/http://workersparty.ie/keynote-address-of-party-president-michael-donnelly/|url-status=live}}</ref>

A further minor split occurred when a number of members left and established a group called Republican Left; many of these went on to join the Irish Socialist Network. Another split occurred in 1998, after a number of former OIRA members in Newry and Belfast,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/oorgan.htm |title=Official Republican Movement (ORM) – CAIN Archive |publisher=Cain.ulst.ac.uk |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=19 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219052619/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/organ/oorgan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> who had been expelled, formed a group called the Official Republican Movement,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.clririshleftarchive.org/organisation/230/|title=Official Republican Movement|work=Irish Left Archive|access-date=1 December 2017|language=en}}</ref> which announced in 2010 that it had decommissioned its weapons.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/08/northern-ireland-republican-groups-disarm|title=Rival Irish republican groups disarm|last=McDonald|first=Henry|date=8 February 2010|work=The Guardian|access-date=1 December 2017|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202052447/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/feb/08/northern-ireland-republican-groups-disarm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===21st century===
The Workers' Party has struggled since the early 1990s to rejuvenate its fortunes in both Irish jurisdictions. The Workers' Party maintains a youth wing, Workers' Party Youth, and a Women's Committee. It also had offices in Dublin, Belfast, Cork and Waterford. Apart from its political work at home in Ireland, it has sent party delegations to international gatherings of communist and socialist parties.<ref name="lost" />

The party supported an independent anti-sectarian candidate, John Gilliland, in the 2004 European elections in Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3707203.stm |title=Independent candidate: John Gilliland, www.bbc.co.uk |work=BBC News |date=18 May 2004 |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=16 June 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040616014054/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3707203.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Waterford City and County Council|Waterford City]] remained a holdout for the party in the 1990s and early 2000s. In the [[1997 Irish general election|1997 general election]], Martin O'Regan narrowly failed to secure a seat in [[Waterford (Dáil constituency)|Waterford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1997&cons=226|website=ElectionsIreland.org|title= 28th Dáil – Waterford First Preference Votes|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=20 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420011156/http://electionsireland.org/result.cfm?election=1997&cons=226|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in February 2008, [[John Halligan (politician)|John Halligan]] of Waterford resigned from the party when it refused to drop its opposition to service charges.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.munster-express.ie/local-news/workers-party-asks-halligan-for-his-seat/ |title=Workers' Party asks Halligan for his seat &#124; |newspaper=Munster Express |date=22 February 2008 |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=21 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721125624/http://www.munster-express.ie/local-news/workers-party-asks-halligan-for-his-seat/ |url-status=live }}</ref> He was later elected a TD for Waterford in the 2011 general election. The party's sole remaining councillor in Waterford lost his seat in the [[2014 Irish local elections|2014 local elections]].

Michael Donnelly, a Galway-based university lecturer, was elected as the party President at the party's Ard Fheis on 27 September 2014 on the retirement of [[Mick Finnegan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://workersparty.ie/2014/09/workers-partys-vibrant-ard-fheis/|title=Workers Party's vibrant Ard Fheis|date=28 September 2014|publisher=Workers' Party of Ireland|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103215329/https://workersparty.ie/2014/09/workers-partys-vibrant-ard-fheis/|archivedate=3 January 2015}}</ref>

The Workers' Party called for a No vote against the [[Treaty of Lisbon]] in both the [[Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2008|June 2008 referendum]], in which the proposal was rejected, and the [[Twenty-eighth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|October 2009 referendum]], in which the proposal was approved.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-08-18 |title=Left-wing groups launch anti-Lisbon campaign |url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/left-wing-groups-launch-anti-lisbon-campaign/26559371.html |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Independent.ie |language=en |quote=The Vote No to Lisbon group is the same coalition that opposed the initial referendum as the Campaign Against the EU Constitution. It includes Sinn Fein and several small left-wing groups, including the Socialist Party, the Socialist Workers Party, the Workers Party, the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the People's Movement and Eirigi.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-31 |title=Lisbon - A Treaty Too Far |url=https://www.workerspartyireland.net/lisbon.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513050928/http://www.workerspartyireland.net/lisbon.html |archive-date=2009-05-13 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=workerspartyireland.net |language=en-GB}}</ref> It was the only left-wing party to campaign for a No vote in the [[Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2013|2013 Seanad abolition referendum]].<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Defend Democracy, Vote No to abolition of Seanad |url=http://www.workerspartyireland.net/seanad.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927134123/http://www.workerspartyireland.net/seanad.html |archive-date=2013-09-27 |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=Workers' Party |quote=The Workers Party is the only Left party which is opposing this referendum}}</ref>  It called for a Yes vote in the [[Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland|marriage equality referendum]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-04-22 |title=Workers' Party strongly supports Marriage Equality |url=https://workersparty.ie/workers-party-strongly-supports-marriage-equality-2/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=The Workers' Party of Ireland |language=en-US}}</ref> The party supported [[Brexit]] in the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|2016 referendum]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://workersparty.ie/lexit-the-socialist-case-for-voting-leave/|title=LEXIT: the socialist case for voting 'Leave'|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=27 July 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=27 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727150002/http://workersparty.ie/lexit-the-socialist-case-for-voting-leave/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:National Maternity Hospital protest.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Workers' Party Councillor Éilis Ryan speaking at a protest at the Department of Health against ownership of the National Maternity Hospital by the Sisters of Charity.]]

The party has been involved in campaigning for public housing and renters' rights as a response to the ongoing housing crisis in Ireland. In 2016, the party published Solidarity Housing, a public housing policy that proposed a cost-rental housing model for Ireland.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://workersparty.ie/workers-party-publishes-costed-proposal-for-cross-subsidised-public-housing/|title=Workers' Party publishes costed proposal for cross-subsidised public housing|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=15 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225603/http://workersparty.ie/workers-party-publishes-costed-proposal-for-cross-subsidised-public-housing/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://workersparty.ie/policy/housing/|title=Housing|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=15 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225628/http://workersparty.ie/policy/housing/|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, a Workers' Party motion for 100% mixed-income public housing on the publicly owned O'Devaney Gardens site in the north inner city was passed by Dublin City Councillors, but was later overturned after an intervention by Minister for Housing [[Simon Coveney]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://workersparty.ie/sinn-fein-urged-to-publish-legal-advice-ahead-of-vote-to-allow-privatisation-of-odevaney-gardens-land/|title=Sinn Féin urged to publish legal advice ahead of vote to allow privatisation of O'Devaney Gardens land|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=15 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225554/http://workersparty.ie/sinn-fein-urged-to-publish-legal-advice-ahead-of-vote-to-allow-privatisation-of-odevaney-gardens-land/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The party retains a tradition of secularism. In April 2017, Councillor Éilis Ryan organised a demonstration against the proposed control of the new National Maternity Hospital by the [[Religious Sisters of Charity]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/this-is-an-insult-to-abuse-survivors-protesters-on-the-ownership-of-the-new-national-maternity-hospital-35639323.html|title='This is an insult to abuse survivors' – Protesters on the ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital|work=Irish Independent|access-date=15 September 2018|language=en|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225759/https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/this-is-an-insult-to-abuse-survivors-protesters-on-the-ownership-of-the-new-national-maternity-hospital-35639323.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Workers' Party campaigned for a yes vote in the referendum to [[Thirty-sixth Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2018|repeal the Eighth amendment]] in May 2018, having been the only party in the Dáil to oppose the introduction of the Eighth amendment in 1983.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://workersparty.ie/workers-party-launches-referendum-campaign-35-years-on-from-first-opposing-8th-amendment/|title=Workers' Party launches referendum campaign 35 years on from first opposing 8th amendment|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=15 September 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=15 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915225531/http://workersparty.ie/workers-party-launches-referendum-campaign-35-years-on-from-first-opposing-8th-amendment/|url-status=live}}</ref>

At the [[2019 Irish local elections|2019 local elections]], Éilís Ryan lost her seat on Dublin City Council, leaving Ted Tynan as the party's only elected representative in Ireland.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3099 |title=Timothy (Ted) Tynan |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Elections Ireland |publisher= |access-date= |quote= |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420000415/https://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3099 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2020, the [[Standards in Public Office Commission]] announced that the Workers' Party were one of five political parties who failed to provide them with a set of audited accounts for 2019, in breach of statutory obligations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/sipo-concerned-aontu-renua-statement-of-accounts-2019-5279366-Nov2020/|title=SIPO 'very concerned' about failure of Aontú and Renua to submit statements of their annual accounts|last=McDermott|first=Stephen|work=TheJournal.ie|date=26 November 2020|access-date=26 November 2020|archive-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126135021/https://www.thejournal.ie/sipo-concerned-aontu-renua-statement-of-accounts-2019-5279366-Nov2020/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====2021 split====
In April 2021, ''[[The Phoenix (magazine)|The Phoenix]]'' reported that at the party's annual [[Ardfheis]] the party voted to expel their only elected representative Ted Tynan.<ref name=phnx>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.--> |title=TED TYNAN'S STICKY SITUATION |url=https://www.thephoenix.ie/2021/04/ted-tynans-sticky-situation/ |work=[[The Phoenix (magazine)|The Phoenix]] |location= |date=19 April 2021 |access-date= |url-access=subscription |archive-date=20 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420000417/https://www.thephoenix.ie/2021/04/ted-tynans-sticky-situation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This is disputed by the party themselves.<ref name=WPstatement>{{cite web | url = https://workersparty.ie/statement-on-the-recent-split-from-the-workers-party/ | website = workersparty.ie | date = 20 April 2021 | title = Statement on the recent split from The Workers' Party | access-date = 23 April 2021 | archive-date = 23 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210423004846/https://workersparty.ie/statement-on-the-recent-split-from-the-workers-party/ | url-status = live }}</ref> In response, a faction of the party called an emergency general meeting in which they backed a vote of no confidence in party president Michael Donnelly and voted Tynan as his successor.<ref name=phnx /><ref name=WPstatement /> Micheal McCorry, who had been General Secretary, became president of the Donnelly faction, with Tynan president of the breakaway faction.<ref>{{cite web |title=Party Presidents New Year Message|url=https://workerspartyni.org/2021/12/31/party-presidents-new-year-message/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103163604/https://workerspartyni.org/2021/12/31/party-presidents-new-year-message/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=3 January 2022|website=Workers' Party Northern Ireland Blog|date=31 December 2021}}</ref> The ''[[Belfast Telegraph]]'' also reported upon the story in April 2021, and suggested one faction had tried to expel Tynan on the stated basis that he had not paid his membership fee for that year. However, Tynan told the Belfast Telegraph that he believed the actual basis for his expulsion was that a new guard of members who wished to move the party towards more [[Irish Republican]] positions, such as being in favour of a referendum on [[Irish reunification]], sought to push him out of the organisation. Historically the Workers' Party opposed a border poll on the basis it would be "sectarian" and pit Nationalists against Unionists, and argued instead that the solution to Northern Ireland would be to unite both groups under the banner of Internationalist Socialism. Tynan and his supporters seek to retain the old position.<ref>{{cite news |last=Madden |first=Andrew |date=27 April 2021 |title=Workers' Party hit by fresh split in organisation |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/workers-party-hit-by-fresh-split-in-organisation-40359631.html |work=[[Belfast Telegraph]] |location=[[Belfast]] |access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref> The rights to use the 'Workers Party' name are disputed; the Tynan-led party can be identified by the use of the logo showing two clasped hands,<ref>{{cite web |title=Workers' Party of Ireland |url=https://workersparty.net/ |access-date=20 January 2025}}</ref> while the McCorry-led party uses the logo of the 'starry plough' and has revived the 'Republican Clubs' name within Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tunney |first1=Liam |title=Workers’ Party ‘Republican Clubs’ relaunch a ‘powerful reminder of history’ says President |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/workers-party-republican-clubs-relaunch-a-powerful-reminder-of-history-says-president/a944515640.html |access-date=20 January 2025 |publisher=Belfast Telegraph |date=18 January 2025}}</ref>

====Nuclear power====
In 2023, the Workers' Party launched its policy document "Lets Get Real", stating that nuclear power is the only energy option for Ireland which is reliable, affordable and low carbon.

The party advocates Ireland building 6 conventional nuclear plants at 2 or 3 sites for an estimated cost of €50 billion.
<ref>{{cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Paul |date=15 June 2023 |title=Workers' Party calls for introduction of nuclear power |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2023/0615/1389381-nuclear-workers-party/}}</ref>

==Electoral performance==

===Republic of Ireland===
The Workers' Party made its electoral breakthrough in [[1981 Irish general election|1981]] when [[Joe Sherlock]] won a seat in [[Cork East (Dáil constituency)|Cork East]]. It increased this to three seats in [[November 1982 Irish general election|1982]] and to four seats in [[1987 Irish general election|1987]]. The Workers' Party had its best performance at the polls in 1989 when it won seven seats in the [[1989 Irish general election|general election]] and party president Proinsias De Rossa won a seat in [[Dublin (European Parliament constituency)|Dublin]] in the [[1989 European Parliament election in Ireland|European election]] held on the same day, sitting with the communist [[Left Unity (European Parliament)|Left Unity]] group.<ref name=lost/>

[[File:WP repeal poster.png|alt=|thumb|200px|Workers' Party members launching the party's posters for the May 2018 referendum to repeal the 8th amendment.]]
Following the [[#The 1992 split|split of 1992]], [[Tomás Mac Giolla]], a TD in the [[Dublin West (Dáil constituency)|Dublin West constituency]] and president of the party for most of the previous 30 years, was the only member of the Dáil parliamentary party not to side with the new [[Democratic Left (Ireland)|Democratic Left]]. Mac Giolla lost his seat [[1992 Irish general election|in the general election later that year]], and no TD has been elected for the party since then. However, at local authority level, the Workers' Party maintained elected representation on Dublin, Cork and Waterford corporations in the aftermath of the split, and Mac Giolla was elected [[Lord Mayor of Dublin]] in 1993.

Outside of the south-east, the Workers' Party retains active branches in various areas of the Republic, including [[Dublin]], [[Cork (city)|Cork]] and County Meath.<ref>{{cite web|title=Workers' Party of Ireland, Meath Branch|url=http://www.wpi-meath.org/|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221184107/http://www.wpi-meath.org/|archivedate=21 February 2011}}</ref> In the [[1999 Irish local elections|1999 local elections]], it lost all of its seats in Dublin and Cork and only managed to retain three seats in Waterford City. Further electoral setbacks and a minor split left the party after the [[2004 Irish local elections|2004 local elections]], with only two councillors, both in [[Waterford City and County Council|Waterford]].

The party fielded twelve candidates in the [[2009 Irish local elections|2009 local elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.workerspartyireland.net/locals09.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509094352/http://www.workerspartyireland.net/locals09.html|url-status=dead|title=Local Elections Candidates|archivedate=9 May 2009}}</ref> The party ran [[Malachy Steenson]] in the [[2009 Dublin Central by-election|Dublin Central by-election]] on the same date.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.politics.ie/elections/57835-workers-party-launch-bye-election-campaign.html|title=Press release Malachy Steenson candidate in Dublin Central|date=7 April 2009|access-date=7 April 2009|archive-date=9 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609161531/http://www.politics.ie/elections/57835-workers-party-launch-bye-election-campaign.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ted Tynan was elected to [[Cork City Council]] in the Cork City North East ward.<ref>[http://corkpolitics.ie/results/category/all/city-council/north-east/ Ted Tynan Elected] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612200939/http://corkpolitics.ie/results/category/all/city-council/north-east/ |date=12 June 2009 }} Cork Politics Website, 7 June 2009</ref> Davy Walsh retained his seat in [[Waterford City Council]].<ref>[http://www.rte.ie/news/elections/local/l3002.html North Ward Waterford City Council – Election 2009 results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609102819/http://www.rte.ie/news/elections/local/l3002.html |date=9 June 2009 }} RTÉ Website, 7 June 2009</ref> In the [[2014 Irish local elections|2014 local elections]] Tynan retained his seat; however Walsh lost his, following major boundary changes resulting from the merging of Waterford City and County councils. In January 2015, Independent councillor Éilis Ryan on [[Dublin City Council]] joined the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://workersparty.ie/ryan-joins-workers-party/|title=Cllr. Éilis Ryan joins Workers' Party – The Workers' Party of Ireland|work=The Workers' Party of Ireland|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=8 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508010051/http://workersparty.ie/ryan-joins-workers-party/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 2011 general election the Workers' Party ran six candidates, without success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://electionsireland.org/party.cfm?election=2011&party=WP|title=ElectionsIreland.org: Party Candidates|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=20 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420044715/http://electionsireland.org/party.cfm?election=2011&party=WP|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[2016 Irish general election|2016 general election]], the party ran five candidates, again without success.

At the [[2019 Irish local elections]], the party dropped to one remaining councillor, with Éilís Ryan losing her seat on Dublin City Council.

====Dáil Éireann elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Leader
! Seats won
! ±
! Position
! First pref. votes
! %
! Government
|-
![[1973 Irish general election|1973]]<br />{{small|as SF}}
| rowspan="6" | [[Tomás Mac Giolla]]
| {{Composition bar|0|144|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 4th
| 15,366
| 1.1%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[1977 Irish general election|1977]]<br />{{small|as SFWP}}
| {{Composition bar|0|148|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 4th
| 27,209
| 1.7%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[1981 Irish general election|1981]]<br />{{small|as SFWP}}
| {{Composition bar|1|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}}1
| 5th
| 29,561
| 1.7%
| style="background-color:#FFCCCC" |Opposition<br />{{small|(Abstained in [[Dáil vote for Taoiseach|formation vote]] on [[Government of the 22nd Dáil|minority FG/Lab government]])}}
|-
![[February 1982 Irish general election|Feb 1982]]<br />{{small|as SFWP}}
| {{Composition bar|3|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}}2
| 4th
| 38,088
| 2.3%
| style="background-color:#FFCCCC" |Opposition<br />{{small|(Supported [[Government of the 23rd Dáil|minority FF government]])}}
|-
![[November 1982 Irish general election|Nov 1982]]
| {{Composition bar|2|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{decrease}}1
| 4th
| 54,888
| 3.3%
| style="background-color:#FFCCCC" |Opposition
|-
![[1987 Irish general election|1987]]
| {{Composition bar|4|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}}2
| 5th
| 67,273
| 3.8%
| style="background-color:#FFCCCC" |Opposition
|-
![[1989 Irish general election|1989]]
| [[Proinsias De Rossa]]
| {{Composition bar|7|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}}3
| 4th
| 82,263
| 5.0%
| style="background-color:#FFCCCC" |Opposition
|-
![[1992 Irish general election|1992]]
| [[Tomás Mac Giolla]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{decrease}}7
| 8th
| 11,533
| 0.7%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[1997 Irish general election|1997]]
| [[Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)|Tom French]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 11th
| 7,808
| 0.4%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[2002 Irish general election|2002]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Seán Garland]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 9th
| 4,012
| 0.2%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[2007 Irish general election|2007]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 9th
| 3,026
| 0.1%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[2011 Irish general election|2011]]
| [[Mick Finnegan]]
| {{Composition bar|0|166|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 10th
| 3,056
| 0.1%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[2016 Irish general election|2016]]
| rowspan="2" | Michael Donnelly
| {{Composition bar|0|158|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 11th
| 3,242
| 0.2%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|-
![[2020 Irish general election|2020]]
| {{Composition bar|0|158|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 14th
| 1,195
| 0.1%
| style="background-color:#FFD" |No Seats
|}

====Irish local elections====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Election
! Seats won
! ±
! First pref. votes
! %
!±
|-
![[1974 Irish local elections|1974]]<br />{{small|as SF (Officials)}}
|{{Composition bar|6|805|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|''New''
|16,623
|1.3%
|''New''
|-
![[1979 Irish local elections|1979]]<br />{{small|as SFWP}}
| {{Composition bar|7|769|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 1
| 31,238
| 2.3%
| {{increase}} 1.0
|-
![[1985 Irish local elections|1985]]
| {{Composition bar|20|828|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 13
| 43,006
| 3.0%
| {{increase}} 0.7
|-
![[1991 Irish local elections|1991]]
| {{Composition bar|24|883|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{increase}} 3
| 50,996
| 3.6%
| {{increase}} 0.6
|-
![[1999 Irish local elections|1999]]
| {{Composition bar|3|1627|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 21
| 6,847
| 0.5%
| {{decrease}} 3.1
|-
![[2004 Irish local elections|2004]]
| {{Composition bar|2|1627|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| 4,170
| 0.2%
| {{decrease}} 0.3
|-
![[2009 Irish local elections|2009]]
| {{Composition bar|2|1627|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 4,771
| 0.3%
| {{increase}} 0.1
|-
![[2014 Irish local elections|2014]]
| {{Composition bar|1|949|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{decrease}} 1
| 3,147
| 0.18%
| {{decrease}} 0.12
|-
![[2019 Irish local elections|2019]]
| {{Composition bar|1|949|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 2,620
| 0.15%
| {{decrease}} 0.03
|
|-
![[2024 Irish local elections|2024]]
| {{Composition bar|0|949|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
| {{steady}}
| 1,700
| 
| {{decrease}}
|}

===Northern Ireland===
The party gained ten seats at the [[1973 Northern Ireland local elections]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm|title=Local Government Elections 1973|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=18 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518041826/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg73.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> At the [[1977 Northern Ireland local elections]], this fell to six council seats and 2.6% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg77.htm|title=Local Government Elections 1977|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=16 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516201351/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg77.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> One of their best results was when [[Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)|Tom French]] polled 19% in the [[1986 Upper Bann by-election]], although no other candidates stood against the sitting MP and a year later, when other parties contested the constituency, he only polled 4.7% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |author=Dr Nicholas Whyte |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/bub.htm |title=Upper Bann results 1983–1995 |publisher=Ark.ac.uk |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=21 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121223115/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/bub.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Three councillors left the party during the split in 1992. Davy Kettyles became an independent 'Progressive Socialist'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/lgfermanagh.htm|title=Fermanagh Council Elections 1993–2011|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=6 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806154318/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/lgfermanagh.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> while Gerry Cullen in Dungannon and the Workers' Party northern chairman, [[Seamus Lynch]] in Belfast, joined Democratic Left.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=25553420|title=Courting Couple|last1=Tynan|first1=Maol Muire|journal=Fortnight|year=1992|issue=306|page=9}}</ref> The party held on to its one council seat in the [[1993 Northern Ireland local elections|1993 local elections]] with Peter Smyth retaining the seat that had been held by Tom French in Loughside, [[Craigavon Borough Council|Craigavon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg93.htm|title=Local Government Elections 1993|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=8 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208174651/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg93.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> This was lost in [[1997 Northern Ireland local elections|1997]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg97.htm|title=Local Government Elections 1997|access-date=10 May 2016|archive-date=19 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160519125109/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/flg97.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> leaving them without elected representation in Northern Ireland.

The party performed poorly in the [[2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2007 Assembly election]]; it won no seats, and in its best result in [[Belfast West (Assembly constituency)|Belfast West]], it gained 1.26% of the vote. The party did not field any candidates at the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 Westminster general election]]. In the [[2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2011 Assembly election]] the Workers' Party ran in four constituencies, securing 586 first-preference votes (1.7%) in Belfast West and 332 (1%) in [[Belfast North (Assembly constituency)|Belfast North]].

The party contested the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 Westminster general election]], standing parliamentary candidates in Northern Ireland for the first time in ten years. It fielded five candidates and secured 2,724 votes, with Gemma Weir picking up 919 votes (2.3%) in [[Belfast North (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast North]]. The party did not field candidates in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 Westminster general election]]. In June 2020 the [[Ard Comhairle]] announced the Northern Ireland Business Committee and Belfast Constituency Council had split from the party by adopting "pro-unionist" policies.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Eilis |title=Statement by the Ard Comhairle of the Workers' Party on the decision to leave the Party by the Northern Ireland Business Committee and its supporters |url=https://workersparty.ie/statement-by-the-ard-comhairle-of-the-workers-party-on-the-decision-to-leave-the-party-by-the-northern-ireland-business-committee-and-its-supporters/ |publisher=The Workers' Party of Ireland |access-date=21 June 2020 |archive-date=21 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621134320/https://workersparty.ie/statement-by-the-ard-comhairle-of-the-workers-party-on-the-decision-to-leave-the-party-by-the-northern-ireland-business-committee-and-its-supporters/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The party contested the [[2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election]], winning 839 (0.10%) first-round votes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Assembly Election Results 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2022/northern-ireland/results |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==== Assembly elections ====
{| class="wikitable"
!Election
!Seats won
!±
!%
!First pref. votes
|-
![[1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1973]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|1.8
|13,064
|-
![[Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention|1975]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|2.2
|14,515
|-
![[1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1982]] 
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|2.7
|17,216
|-
![[Northern Ireland Forum|1996]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.5
|3,530
|-
![[1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1998]] 
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.25
|1,989
|-
![[2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2003]] 
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.27
|1,881
|-
![[2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2007]] 
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.14
|975
|-
![[2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2011]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.17
|1,155
|-
![[2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2016]] 
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.23
|1,565
|-
![[2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2017]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.16
|1,261
|-
![[2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election|2022]]
|{{Composition bar|0|90|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{steady}}
|0.10
|839
|}

==== Northern Ireland local elections ====
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Seats
!±
!First Pref. votes
!FPv%
!±
|-
![[1973 Northern Ireland local elections|1973]]<br />{{small|as RC}}
|{{Composition bar|8|526|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|''New''
|20,680
|3%
|''New''
|-
![[1977 Northern Ireland local elections|1977]]<br />{{small|as RC}}
|{{Composition bar|6|526|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Decrease}} 2
|14,277
|2.56%
|{{Decrease}} 0.44
|-
![[1981 Northern Ireland local elections|1981]]<br />{{small|as WP-RC}}
|{{Composition bar|3|526|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Decrease}} 3
|12,059
|1.81%
|{{Decrease}} 0.75
|-
![[1985 Northern Ireland local elections|1985]]
|{{Composition bar|4|565|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Increase}} 1
|10,415
|1.63%
|{{Decrease}} 0.18
|-
![[1989 Northern Ireland local elections|1989]]
|{{Composition bar|4|582|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|13,078
|2.12%
|{{Increase}} 0.49
|-
![[1993 Northern Ireland local elections|1993]]
|{{Composition bar|1|582|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Decrease}} 3
|4,827
|0.77%
|{{Decrease}} 1.35
|-
![[1997 Northern Ireland local elections|1997]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Decrease}} 1
|2,348
|0.37%
|{{Decrease}} 0.4
|-
![[2001 Northern Ireland local elections|2001]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|1,421
|0.18%
|{{Decrease}} 0.19
|-
![[2005 Northern Ireland local elections|2005]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|1,052
|0.15%
|{{Decrease}} 0.03
|-
![[2011 Northern Ireland local elections|2011]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|760
|0.12%
|{{Decrease}} 0.03
|-
![[2014 Northern Ireland local elections|2014]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|985
|0.16%
|{{Increase}} 0.04
|-
![[2019 Northern Ireland local elections|2019]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|868
|0.13%
|{{Decrease}} 0.03
|-
![[2023 Northern Ireland local elections|2023]]
|{{Composition bar|0|462|hex={{party color|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}}}
|{{Steady}}
|678
|0.09%
|{{Decrease}} 0.04
|}

==Publications==
The party has published a number of newspapers throughout the years, with many of the theorists of the movement writing for these papers. After the 1970 split the Officials kept publishing the ''[[United Irishman (1948 newspaper)|United Irishman]]'' (the traditional newspaper of the republican movement) monthly until May 1980. In 1973 the party launched a weekly paper ''[[The Irish People]]'', which was focused on issues in the Republic of Ireland, there was also a ''The Northern People'' published in Belfast and focused on northern issues.<ref>[http://www.irishleftreview.org/2009/05/26/dctv-left-irish-people/ Looking Left: The Irish People] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090602021340/http://www.irishleftreview.org/2009/05/26/dctv-left-irish-people/ |date=2 June 2009 }} DCTV</ref> The party published an occasional international bulletin and a woman's magazine called ''Women's View''. From 1989 to 1992 it produced a theoretical magazine called ''Making Sense''. Other papers were produced such as ''Workers' Weekly''.

The party produces a magazine, ''[[Look Left (Ireland)|Look Left]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lookleftonline.org/ |title=Look Left Online |publisher=Look Left Online |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=21 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221174750/http://www.lookleftonline.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Originally conceived as a straightforward party paper, ''Look Left'' was relaunched as a more broad-left style publication in March 2010 but still bearing the emblem of the Workers' Party. It is distributed by party members and supporters and is also stocked by a number of retailers including Eason's and several radical/left-wing bookshops.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lookleftonline.org/about/ |title=About us |website=Look Left |access-date=3 February 2011 |archive-date=4 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504151227/http://www.lookleftonline.org/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Leaders==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Leader
! Portrait
! Period
|-
| [[Tomás Mac Giolla]]
| {{CSS image crop|Image =Tomás Mac Giolla (cropped).jpg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| 1962–1988 <ref name=lost/>
|-
| [[Proinsias De Rossa]]
| {{CSS image crop|Image =Proinsias De Rossa, 1996 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| 1988–1992
|-
| [[Marian Donnelly]]
| {{CSS image crop|Image =No image.svg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 
| 1992–1994
|-
| [[Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)|Tom French]]
| {{CSS image crop|Image =Tom French (cropped).jpg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| 1994–1998
|-
| [[Seán Garland]] 
| {{CSS image crop|Image =Seán Garland.jpg|bSize = 80 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| 1998–2008
|-
| [[Mick Finnegan]]
| {{CSS image crop|Image =No image.svg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 
| 2008–2014
|-
| Michael Donnelly
| {{CSS image crop|Image =No image.svg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 
| 2014–2021
|-
| Disputed between Michael McCorry and Ted Tynan
| {{CSS image crop|Image =No image.svg|bSize = 75 |cWidth = 75 |cHeight = 100|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 
| 2021–present
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* ''Navigating the Zeitgeist: A Story of the Cold War, the New Left, Irish Republicanism and International Communism,'' Helena Sheehan, {{ISBN|978-1-58367-727-8}}
* ''My Life in the IRA'', Michael Ryan, {{ISBN|978-1-781175187}}
*''The Politics of Illusion: A Political History of the IRA'', Henry Patterson, {{ISBN|1-897959-31-1}}
*''Official Irish Republicanism, 1962 to 1972'', Sean Swan, {{ISBN|1-4303-1934-8}}
*''The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party'', Brian Hanley and Scott Millar, {{ISBN|1-84488-120-2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.workersparty.ie/  Workers' Party official website]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20051219212232/http://www.seangarland.org/ Campaign to Stop the Extradition of Seán Garland to the United States]}}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/panorama/transcripts/superdollar.txt ''Panorama – The Superdollar Plot''] – Transcript of BBC documentary
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/recent/troubles/fact_files.shtml?ff=p03#factfile BBC: Paramilitaries – Official IRA]
{{OIRA/WP}}
{{Political parties in the Republic of Ireland}}
{{Political parties in Northern Ireland}}
{{European communist parties}}
{{Marxism–Leninism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category: Active communist parties in Ireland]]
[[Category:Workers' Party (Ireland)| ]]
[[Category:All-Ireland political parties]]
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[[Category:Political history of Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Sinn Féin breakaway groups]]
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[[Category:Communist parties in Northern Ireland]]
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[[Category:Political parties established in 1970]]
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