A look at the Irish Independence Party which ran from 1977 until the late 1980’s. They fielded 4 candidates in the 1979 UK Elections and were at their height winning 21 seats in the 1981 Northern Irish Local Elections. Sinn Féin’s decision to contest Northern Elections resulted in much of the IIPs support being lost.
I’ve created a website for the podcast too, should you wish to listen to other episodes etc..
Many thanks to the Sender who notes…
“John Turnly, a Protestant Nationalist who started out as a councillor for the SDLP but left to help form the short lived Irish Independence Party which gathered up a lot of hitherto unused Republican votes but were sidelined when SF came back in to the fray.
Turnley was shot dead by the UDA a year later as he went to a meeting in Carnlough, a commemoration for him is till held there annually I believe.
He was very much involved in the H-Blocks campaign during the first strike, quite something for a Protestant living in Paisley’s constituency. He represented the Glens area which covered the current Moyle DC and part of Larne DC and had a Nationalist majority.”
*apologies for the size of the text
As its an interesting leaflet I have transcribed the text beneath each image.
Irish Independence Party
JOHN TURNLY was born in 1935 in the town of Ballycastle, in fact he is the only candidate in this election born in this constituency. He now lives on the family farm at Garronpoint close to the town of Carnlough. He has traveled widely and lived for several years in Japan working with various Japanese companies and organisations. In the last election held in the Constituency of North Antrim in 1975 he was elected to the Convention.
After that body’s dissolution in 1976 he continued to serve the people of North Antrim In an unpaid capacity as a Constituency Representative. In 1977 he was returned unopposed to Larne Council and is a member of the roads sub committee and the North Eastern Group Committee Building control Service. He figured prominently in the Campaign for the ending of internment and now favours the re-introduction Political Status pending an amnesty for those imprisoned as a result of the current upheavals.
Recently elected as Vice-Chairman of the Irish Independence Party, he is a strong advocate of complete British Withdrawal.
Irish Election Literature 
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