Revolutionary Workers' Groups

Revolutionary Workers' Groups were left wing groups in Ireland officially founded in 1930 with the objective of creating a Revolutionary Workers' Party, and in 1933 they disbanded and established the Communist Party of Ireland.^[1] The Revolutionary Workers' Group (RWG) had its headquarters in 64 Great Strand Street, in Dublin which it named Connolly House. The RWG ran two candidates in the newly reconstituted Dublin City Council Elections in 1930, and Jim Larkin Jnr was successful.^[2] The Group did run two candidates in Dublin in the Irish general election, 1932, Joseph Troy and James Larkin, Jnr. Members also ran in Belfast municipal elections Tommy Geehan in Falls, and Phil Wilson and William Boyd in Cromac.^[3]

The group was officially banned by the Cosgrave government in 1931, under the coercion act, along with 11 other organisations, the ban was lifted following the electoral victory in 1932 of Fianna Fail.^[4]

In March 1933 the groups headquarters where attacked by anti-communists^[5]

Members of the RWG included many Irish communists such as James Gralton and Sean Murray.

In June 1933 the Communist Party of Ireland was formed and the RWG disbanded.

The group produced a weekly paper The Irish Workers' Voice, its first issue was on April 5, 1930,^[2] with the scottish socialist, Tom Bell as its first editor,^[4] the paper went on to be a publication for the Communist party, the paper was consistently published up to 1936.

References

1. ↑ The Communist Party of Ireland A Critical History, Part 2 by DR O'Connor Lysaght, 1976.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Communist Party of Ireland History
3. ↑ 'The Communist Party of Ireland 1921 - 2011' By Matt Treacy, Brocaire Books, Dublin, 2012.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 A history of the communist movement in Ireland - 1929-1941 www.communistpartyofireland.ie
5. ↑ “Dublin ‘Red’ Headquarters Set On Fire, Twenty Injured In Riots”