The first issue of An Caorthann (The Rowan Tree), quarterly magazine of information and discussion for the Irish Green Party / Comhaontas Glas and the wider green and alternative movement. It ran until 1998. Many thanks to the sender. It’s 48 pages, so it’s uploaded in pdf.
From 1983 a membership form for The Green Alliance/ Comhaontas Glas.
‘The Green Alliance/ Comhaontas Glas has adopted these seven principles by consensus.’
(at this stage the Party still made decisions by consensus)
1- The impact of society on the environment should not be ecologically disruptive.
2- Conservation of resources is vital to a sustainable society.
3- All political, social and economic decisions should be taken at the lowest effective level.
4- Society should be guided by self-reliance and co-operation at all levels.
5- As caretakers of the Earth, we have the responsibility to pass it on in a fit and healthy state.
6- The need for world peace overrides national and commercial interests.
7- The poverty of two-thirds of the world’s family demands a redistribution of the worlds resources.
From the 1991 Local Elections, Green Party candidate Claire Wheeler running in the Pembroke Ward. Claire Wheeler polled 1,060 votes and was elected.
She was joined on Dublin City Council by Green Councillors, John Gormley, Ciaran Cuffe and Siadbh O’Neill.
From the 1987 General Election in Dublin South the Green candidate Roger Garland. Garland later became a Ireland’s first Green TD in the 1989 General Election, before losing his seat in 1992.
He had also stood in the Ecology party’s initial electoral outing in November 1982 getting 950 votes in Dublin South.
In 1987 the Green Alliance policies were very much left of centre. There was no mention of such thing as Global Warming or depleting ozone layers. From memory of the times Acid Rain was what we were really scared of. The European Greens got a far bigger mention then in Green Literature, than they do now.
Reposting this leaflet as earlier Garland post had leaflets from 2 different elections.
Click on the images to make them more readable
In 1981 Christopher Fettes wrote a letter (below) to the Irish Times enquiring if anyone was interested in setting up an Irish Ecology Party. He got around 80 responses. In turn this led to a meeting of all those interested. This is the poster Advertising the first meeting.
The Ecology Party of Ireland did not field any candidates in the February 1982 election, but did field seven candidates
in the November 1982 Election.(Seven candidates were needed to get coverage on RTE). These Seven were Roger Garland in Dublin South (950 votes) ,Maire Mullarney in Dublin South East (312), Aidan Meagher (188) in Dublin North West, Liam DeSuin (463) in Wicklow, Richard Power in Limerick East (177), Owen Casey (1307) Cork South Central and Elizabeth Ryder (319) in Cork South West.
Many members were unhappy with the name of the new Party and with Greens such as Petra Kelly in Germany household names the name of the Party was changed. On April the 12th 1984 ‘The Green Alliance/ An Comhaontas Glas’ formally applied to be registered as a political Party.
Many thanks to the donor.
From the 1985 local elections, the Green Party candidate for the Pembroke Ward, Enid O’Dowd.
Enid O’Dowd polled well but with the likes of well established community activist Carmencita Hederman on the ballot paper it was unlikely she would get in. The Green Party won a seat in Pembroke in the 1991 local Elections through Claire Wheeler.
More recently Enid O’Dowd has been doing some great work on Oireachtas expenses with a number of articles in the Irish Times and an appearance on Liveline.
Green Party leader John Gormleys leaflet from the 2007 General Election.
“We’ll deliver…
…24 Hour health centres and more acute hospital beds…
…2,400 extra teachers to reduce class sizes… ”
David Healy, a prominent Green member/councillor in Dublin for many years. The mention of Esperanto is interesting as a number of Founding members such as Christopher Fettes were enthusiastic about Esperanto.
Sadhbh O’Neill who famously was elected to Dublin City Council in 1991 despite not having campaigned (She was in the US at the time).
Oddly enough, that victory is attributed as part of why the Greens did not do particularly well (or as well as they thought they would) in the 1992 General Election, as some candidates/branches felt that the vote would turn out, canvass or no canvass.
The 6 Billion would have refered to money Albert promised we’d get from Europe.
Its 1987 and the Waterboys do a benefit concert for the Green Alliance with the proceeds ‘going to finance a Green Road Show which will tour the country..’
The concert itself was in the Olympic Ballroom, a few of the songs from the forthcoming Fishermans Blues were played. I think The Sawdoctors may have been the support.(I’m informed the Benzini Brothers were the support)
A Windscale Fire 30th Anniversary Demo, organised by CND, outside the British Embassy is also advertised.
Not too often Chief Seattle gets quoted in Irish political material either…
Probably a misprint too in “We Greens have a saying ‘THINK GLOBALLY, ACT GLOBALLY’“…. should surely read ‘THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY”
This is from the 1985 Local election, Ballybrack ward. Apologies that the scan is so poor. I’ll try and redo it in due course.
Looking back a quarter of a century on, a number of things stand out, amongst them,
‘Stop and Reverse the Growth of Dublin’
A sign of the times too that Acid Rain was seen as the big threat as Global Warming wasn’t known about.
‘Energy Efficient homes- major insulation scheme needed to stop hypothermia, ‘
‘An end to Land Rezoning / Speculation scandal. Tax unused property.’
‘Double Jobbing- Councillors should not also be T.Ds or Euro M.P.s’.
Sellafield still known as Windscale.
Also the reference to Bishopscourt peace camp, which was a camp beside bishopscourt radar base in Co Down that ran from 1983 to 1986.
Theres a pamphlet from Bishopscourt here
Irish Election Literature 
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