December 9 1974
Eighty breakaway members of Gardiner Place Sinn Fein from both sides of the Border met in Dublin, yesterday, to form a new political party – the Irish Republican Socialist Party – and set up a caretaker National Executive.
The meeting was attended by delegates from Belfast, Derry City, Co Derry, Armagh, Donegal, Dublin, Wicklow, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare and Cork. A full delegate national conference is to be held “at the earliest possible date”.
A spokesman for the new party said after the meeting that all those present had either resigned from Official Sinn Fein in the past week or would be resigning within the next few days.
The spokesman said a press conference would be held in Dublin later this week to give the reasons behind the establishment of the new party and to outline policy, objectives and tactics.
He added: “Stemming from this, the Irish Republican Socialist Party now appeals to all those who hold dear the basic Republican principles of freedom, democracy, and socialism, to examine their present position and give their support to a truly democratic Republican Socialist Party”.
Some of those at the meeting were among the top members of Gardiner Place Sinn Fein.
The spokesman said: “The first task of the caretaker National Executive is to organise the full delegate conference. We are confident that, from the beginning, we will get the support of true Republican Socialists throughout the country. We have a lot to offer”.
It is expected that Gardiner Place will act swiftly with a “close the ranks” appeal to Official Sinn Fein members and that Mr Thomas MacGiolla, the president, will make every effort to prevent further defections from the party.
Although no definite plans have yet been drawn up, it is anticipated that the new Irish Republican Socialist Party will put candidates in the field at local government and Parliamentary elections on both sides of the Border.
The timing of the announcement that the party has been formed is seen as a bid by the breakaway group to get representation on the Northern Ireland Convention at the elections next March.
Following the split within Sinn Féin in 1970 that led to the formation of Official Sinn Féin and Provisional Sinn Féin, a split occurred in 1974 within Official Sinn Féin itself, that led to the formation of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and its miliary arm, the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).
