Mike Jennings who had previously stood for the Workers Party from the 1992 General Election in Dublin Central where he polled 467 votes.
Eamon Gilmore -Labour -DunLaoghaire 2007
Eamon Gilmores 2007 leaflet. Pat Rabbitte was still Labour Party Leader. A stylish leaflet with the continued fashion of using quotes from Journalists. Also why print a picture of yourself as a five year old?
Catherine Murphy -Kildare North by-Election 2005 December 22, 2009
Former Workers Party, democratic Left and Labour Councillor Catherine Murphy (who has been very kind in sending her election literature over the years) from her successful by election campaign in 2005. This is just her flyer, I’ll put up more detailed stuff in due course. However it does show the pressures on North Kildare at the time such as school places and recreation facilities, indicating that a lot of the estates built were done so without adequate facilities.
Dermot Tobin- Workers Party -Wicklow 1989 December 21, 2009
Dermot Tobins literature from the 1989 General Election. Times were not unlike today, with fiscal considerations the main issue.
A public jobs scheme is suggested, De Rossas message to the electorate is almost as relevant today as it was back than.
Tobin polled a disappointing 2049 votes down 1500 from John McManus two years previously.
Joe Higgins- Militant Labour- (Leaflet 2) 1996 Dublin West By-Election December 15, 2009
Another Joe Higgins Leaflet from the 1996 Dublin West By-Election. This time Ballyfermot focused. It was the election that put Joe on the map, as he came close to winning the seat won by our current Finance Minister Brian Lenihan.
He asks Voters to vote for him and ‘Other Genuine Left Wing Candidates’ which is fairly uncommon.
We also learn that in 1996 a TD earned £32,000 a year. In 1983 it was £16,400 a year .What is it now?
Anne Speed -Sinn Fein 1989 European Elections- Dublin December 14, 2009
Sinn Fein Candidate Anne Speed from the 1989 European Elections in Dublin where she polled 11,582 votes (2.58%), down from the 14,604 (5.17%) achieved by John Noonan in 1984.
Sinn Fein are still anti EC in 1989. “Sinn Fein is the only party standing in this election saying that there is an alternative to the EC…”
Also “Please transfer your preferences to other anti-EC candidates” Presumably this meant to Ray Crotty.
Nicky Kelly -Independent -Wicklow 1997 December 11, 2009
Growing up it was common to see ‘Free Nicky Kelly’ graffiti around the place. In 1978 Kelly, a then IRSP member was wrongly convicted along with Osgur Breatnach and Brian McNally of The 1976 Sallins Train Robbery. After a campaign for his release, he was release on “humanitarian grounds’ in 1984 and was pardoned in 1992.
Here having been elected to Arklow UDC in 1994 (topping the poll), Kelly stood in the 1995 Wicklow by-election. These leaflets are from the 1997 General Election, where he polled almost 5000 votes but failed to get in.
“Party Pizzas! -The Election Selection” -John O’Neill -Irish Socialist Network 2007 December 8, 2009
This is the back of a 4 page leaflet issued by the Irish Socialist Network for the 2007 General Election campaign of John O’Neill.
Fantastic imagination, playing on the fact that election material is so often mixed in with Pizza Menus… and often the Pizza Menu is more popular!
Paddy Gallagher, Tony Wright – Workers Party 1987 Waterford.
Paddy Gallagher had briefly been a TD between February and November 1982 when won a seat from Fianna Fails Billy Kenneally.
In November 1982 Fianna Fail won the seat back.It had been felt that Gallagher hadn’t done enough to protect jobs in Waterford.
Aside from Fianna Fail Gallagher was also hit on the left by two Independent candidates, Terry Moroney who had been part of a march from Dungarvan to Dublin protesting against Youth Unemployment and also Thomas Brennan who had been formerly a leading light in the local Labour Party.
Brian O’Shea of Labours vote held steady at around 4% in both the February and November 82 elections.
Tony Wright was added to the 1987 ticket to cover the Dungarvan side of Waterford.
Amongst the policies listed in this 1987 campaign leaflet… The idea of an agricultural Development Authority seemed innovative and, as now, Health and Social Welfare cuts are part of the bigger parties plans. Plenty of other things of interest there also.
We also have the achievements of the Workers Party TDs in the previous Dail.
Richard Boyd-Barrett -People Before Profit- Dun Laoghaire 2007 December 7, 2009
SWP man Richard Boyd-Barrett missed out on the last seat at the 2007 General election, but romped home in the 2009 locals elections and is seen as having a great chance at the next election.
Jimmy Hogan -Workers Party -Greystones TC 1985
A simple flyer from Jimmy Hogan for the 1985 Greystones Town Commission Elections. He also stood in the 1991 Local Elections for the Workers Party.
Emmet Stagg- “Cuts Kill, defend your right to Health”- 1989 GE Kildare December 6, 2009
Emmet Stagg attacks the cuts in the Health Services in 1989.
“If you can pay,
your child gets heart surgery in a week.
If you can’t pay,
join the waiting list or die. “
Brendan Ryan – “A Voice for the Voiceless” NUI Seanad 1989
Brendan Ryan, former Independent Senator and former Labour Party Senator (as well as European and General Election candidate) in 1989.
In 1989 we faced similar challenges than those we face at the minute. This leaflet from Ryan is especially interesting as Ryan challenged the economic consensus of the time.
He finsihes with the lines….
“The cruel values of selfish competition, greed, individualism and indifference, which currently dominate our country are resisted. Our country must be drawn together and this can only be done if the cult of greed and selfishness is resisted.”
Donegal Labour /Labour Youth -1985 LE December 5, 2009
Donegal Labour weren’t happy about being in coalition with Fine Gael. Being Socialists they didn’t want coalition with Fianna Fail either.God knows what they would have thought of the yet to be formed Progressive Democrats.
That small piece shows the problems parties (especially of the Left) have when going into Coalition. Here were Donegal Labour in effect, disavowing the party that they were standing for. Maybe thats why the literature differs from the 1985 Labour Party template.
Under the No Coalition is a small bit about Labour Youth and a recruitment ‘form’. The name to send off to is F McCafferty. Francis McClafferty stood in the 2004 local elections for the Socialist Party. In 2009 he was part of the group that set up the ‘Letterkenny Residents Party’ which had Tom Crossan elected to the UDC.
On the Reverse is a profile of Anne Wilkinson who was standing in the 1985 local elections for Labour.
Tomas MacGiolla -The Workers Party-1994 European Elections December 2, 2009
On this we have ‘litir um thoghcán’ usually its spelt ‘litir um thoghchán’.
Having been Lord Mayor of Dublin Tomas MacGiolla writes to the ‘Dear Citizens’ of Dublin looking for a vote.
He Writes…
‘At a time when there is literally enough wealth being created to serve the needs of everyone we have 32% unemployed …’
Joe Higgins- Militant Labour -1996 Dublin West By-Election (Leaflet 1 -Water Charges) December 1, 2009
Joe Higgins from the 1996 Dublin West by election, where Brian Lenihan junior won the seat caused by the death of his father Brian Lenihan senior.
Joe was standing for Militant Labour (the forerunner of the Socialist Party) and caused a major shock when he polled just 252 first preferences less than Brian Lenihan.
He was running on an Anti Water Charges platform and must have been very annoyed to find that his Water charges had been paid for him by the council!!
Leaflet from Patricia McKenna -Green Party- 1994 European Elections- Dublin November 30, 2009
Some material from Patricia McKenna of the Green Party from the 1994 European Election campaign. She topped the poll and was elected.
Lisa Maher -Socialist Party -Dundrum 2004 Local Elections November 26, 2009
Lisa Maher from the 2004 local elections where she narrowly missed taking a seat, by just 84 votes.
Irish Election Literature 
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