Connolly Association
Encyclopedia
The Connolly Association is an organisation based among Irish emigrants in Britain which supports the aims of Irish republicanism
. It takes its name from James Connolly
, an socialist republican
, born in Edinburgh
, Scotland
and executed by the British Army
in 1916 for his part in the Easter Rising
of the same year. It was formed in London in 1938 by members of various Irish organisations, such as Republican Congress
and the Irish Self-Determination League
. It was originally named the Connolly Club, and its aims were: to work for a united and independent Ireland and complete freedom for the Irish
people and to provide a social and cultural centre for those promoting the teachings of James Connolly and to show solidarity with oppressed nations and peoples throughout the world - sentiments continued in the present CA constitution.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the CA through the pages on the Irish Democrat, influenced those trade unionists in Belfast
who first proposed the idea of establishing a civil rights movement to expose unionism in the six counties
. The Association continued to organise meetings throughout Britain and a number of new branches were established.
The Connolly Association produced a newspaper from 1939, known first as Irish Freedom and then from 1945 as the Irish Democrat. It supports the Good Friday Agreement (1998)
but continues to press for an end to the partition of Ireland, and for the unification
of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland
.
Notable members of the Connolly Association included C. Desmond Greaves
,
Anthony Coughlan
Roy Johnston
,
and Derry Kelleher.
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. It takes its name from James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
, an socialist republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
, born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and executed by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in 1916 for his part in the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of the same year. It was formed in London in 1938 by members of various Irish organisations, such as Republican Congress
Republican Congress
The Republican Congress was an Irish republican political organisation founded in 1934, when left-wing republicans left the Irish Republican Army. The Congress was led by such IRA veterans as Peadar O'Donnell, Frank Ryan and George Gilmore. It was a socialist organisation and was dedicated to a...
and the Irish Self-Determination League
Irish Self-Determination League
The Irish Self-Determination League of Great Britain was established in London in 1919. Membership peaked at around 20,000 in and was confined to those of Irish birth or descent resident in Great Britain....
. It was originally named the Connolly Club, and its aims were: to work for a united and independent Ireland and complete freedom for the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
people and to provide a social and cultural centre for those promoting the teachings of James Connolly and to show solidarity with oppressed nations and peoples throughout the world - sentiments continued in the present CA constitution.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the CA through the pages on the Irish Democrat, influenced those trade unionists in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
who first proposed the idea of establishing a civil rights movement to expose unionism in the six counties
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The Association continued to organise meetings throughout Britain and a number of new branches were established.
The Connolly Association produced a newspaper from 1939, known first as Irish Freedom and then from 1945 as the Irish Democrat. It supports the Good Friday Agreement (1998)
Belfast Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement , sometimes called the Stormont Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process...
but continues to press for an end to the partition of Ireland, and for the unification
United Ireland
A united Ireland is the term used to refer to the idea of a sovereign state which covers all of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. The island of Ireland includes the territory of two independent sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland, which covers 26 counties of the island, and the...
of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Notable members of the Connolly Association included C. Desmond Greaves
C. Desmond Greaves
Charles Desmond Greaves was an Irish activist and historian. He wrote a number of books on Irish history as a Marxist historian....
,
Anthony Coughlan
Anthony Coughlan
Anthony Coughlan is a left-wing academic, retired Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Social Policy at Trinity College and Secretary of the The National Platform for EU Research and Information Centre....
Roy Johnston
Roy Johnston
Roy Johnston is an Irish physicist. He was a Marxist who as a member of the IRA in the 1960s argued for a National Liberation Strategy to unite the Catholic and Protestant working classes...
,
and Derry Kelleher.