Tiesan Cafe (46b Harrington st, Dublin 8 ) is currently exhibiting Irish posters from the 1930s.
The exhibition shows a series of Cumann na nGaedheal posters and fliers mainly taken from the 1932 general election. The exhibition was covered recently in the Irish Independent
Below a small sample of whats on show. I intend popping in there myself in the near future.
Many thanks to the sender.
From the 1969 General Election a poster for Hilda O’Malley who was running as an Independent in Limerick East. O’Malley was the widow of former Fianna Fail Minister the late Donogh O’Malley so was pitted against her nephew Des O’Malley in the contest. Because of the family connections, the campaign gained worldwide attention.
In the end Hilda O’Malley polled 3,361 votes and missed out on a seat. As an aside the Patrick Kavanagh poem ‘Raglan Road’ was written about his unrequited love for Her.
From the late 1920s or early 1930s two slips from Fianna Fail with the note “With the Compliments and Thanks of The National Executive”.
The August 2011 Newsletter from People Before Profit (United Left Alliance) TD for Dun Laoghaire , Richard Boyd Barrett. Amongst the many issues covered are Loughlinstown Hospital, Bus cuts, SNA cuts and The Household Tax. There is also a profile of New Councillor Melisa Halpin.
From the 1983 UK General Election a leaflet for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was running for the first time in Sedgefield. The Oxford graduate was then “a practising Barrister specialising in trade union and industrial law.”
Many thanks to the sender
First off many thanks to the sender. From May 2011 a flyer advertising “An Evening with Michael D Higgins” to be held in Bandon County Cork.
From the 1979 European Elections an ad for Sinn Fein The Workers’ Party candidate Mick Dunphy who was running in Munster. The Waterford based Dunphy polled 11,526 votes. He also stood in the Local Elections the same day narrowly missing out on a seat.
It offers a critique of Irelands entry into the EEC making points such as rising prices, lack of jobs being created and that it was Big Farmers that were benefiting most from entry into the EEC.
Click on Image to Enlarge
From the 1957 General Election campaign “Export of Horses and the General Election” from the Irish National Campaign against the Export of Horses for Slaughter.
This group wanted an abattoir to be set up here for the killing of ‘redundant horses’ as it would eliminate cruelty and create jobs. Amongst the candidates listed as supporting the abattoir were Noel Browne, Sean McBride and Jack Lynch.
I’m not sure if an abattoir for ‘redundant horses’ was ever set up.
From the 1961 General Election a flyer for Sinn Fein candidate Tomas MacGiolla who was running in Tipperary North. MacGiolla polled 1,123 votes. He was later elected to Dublin Corporation and the Dail for The Workers Party.
From the 1948 General Election Campaign an ad taken out by Clann na Poblachta to refute allegations that there were Communists in the party. Not alone that but to also to refute allegations of them trying to “..usurp .. the functions of the Catholic Church.”
From the 2009 Local Elections a flyer from Fine Gael candidate James O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan was running for a seat on Greystones Town Council.
From the 1944 General Election Tomas O Dochartaigh, Cathal Brughas nephew, running for -Ailtirí na hAiséirghe in Tipperary. He polled 1,072 votes.
Ailtirí na hAiséirghe were a Fascist style party set up in Ireland in the early 40s. There is a good book on them called “Architects of The Resurrection”.
Theres a decent post about it here
As you can see they were fairly extreme.
In this 1944 Election, the party fielded six other candidates, they were
Eoin O Coigligh – Louth 795 votes
Sean O Dubhghaill -Cork Borough 674 votes
Oisin O Droighneain -Dublin County 607 votes
Gearoid O Cuinneagain – Dublin North West 705 votes
Joseph O’Kelly – Roscommon 1217 votes
Liam Walsh (Breathnach) -Waterford 739 votes
A year earlier in the 1943 General Election the party took its first foray into Electoral Politics fielding four candidates.
Eoin O Coigligh – Louth 585 votes
Sean O Dubhghaill -Cork Borough 1,019 votes
Gearoid O Cuinneagain – Dublin North West 607 votes
Tomas O Dochartaigh – Waterford 943 votes
In 1945 the party contested the Local Elections winning 9 seats on various Local Authorities.
In the 1948 General Election it stood just one candidate.
William Hargadon in Sligo-Leitrim who polled 323 votes.
Many thanks to the sender
David Norris is having a nationwide Coffee Break on the 19th of August for his Presidential campaign. A novel idea. Interesting to see if it takes off.
From the 1948 General Election “To every voter under 30 .. Vote Fine Gael”.
Another series of ads that were used during the 2011 General Election Campaign by Labour. Some would have been on Billboards, others in newspapers.
(Part 1 here)
From Spring 2011 ‘Dóchas’ a Newsletter from the Christian Solidarity Party. I’ve uploaded it in pdf HERE or click on the image below to launch.
A few quotes from the newsletter.
On that note Daire Fitsgerald, our Candidate in the most liberal constituency in the country got 434 first preferences, did very well on the RTÉ Frontline programme and I believe his campaign in that constituency was instrumental in preventing Ivana Bacik from getting elected.
For the first time this century our party’s vote has not fallen, it has risen. Not only has it risen beyond the vote received in the 2007 general election, it has risen beyond the percentage of the vote received when the pro-life vote collapsed in 2002. Over-all our vote increased by more than 23%. For every 4 votes we received in 2007 we received almost 5 in 2011. Our share of the contested vote was even more impressive with an increase of 30% from 0.42% of the vote to 0.55%.
Irish Election Literature 
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