Communist Party of Ireland
| Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann Communist Party of Ireland |
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| Party leader | Eugene McCartan |
| founding | 1921 / 1933 / 1970 |
| Headquarters | 43 East Essex Street, Dublin 2 |
| Alignment | communism |
| Colours) | Red Yellow |
| Parliament seats | 0 of 166 ( Dáil , 2007), 0 of 60 ( Seanad , 2007) |
| International connections | International meeting of communist and workers' parties |
| Website | www.communistpartyofireland.ie |
The Communist Party of Ireland ( CPI ; Irish : Páirtí Cumannach na hÉireann - Communist Party of Ireland ) is a small Marxist party active in both Ireland and Northern Ireland . It was as Socialist Party of Ireland ( Socialist Party of Ireland founded) and renamed the 1,921th The party was dissolved in 1924, but brought back to life in 1933. In 1941 the CPI was split into the Irish Workers' Party and the Communist Party of Northern Ireland and reunited in 1970.
In the first half of the 20th century, the party suffered from severe Irish Catholic society and its offices were repeatedly burned down. But despite all resistance, the party grew steadily from the 1960s to the 1980s. Large numbers of members left the party in the late 1980s when the true intentions of Mikhail Gorbachev became apparent. The CPI "survived" the 1990s and then began to regroup.
Historically, the party belongs to the wing of international communism with the Soviet Union as a model.
The party's aim is to win the support of the majority of the Irish in order to abolish the capitalist system and build socialism . The CPI is against the European Constitution and privatization .
The party is currently (as of February 2006) headed by Eugene Mc Cartan , the general secretary of the CPI. The branch in Belfast produces a weekly magazine entitled Unity ( Unity ), in Dublin , the monthly is Socialist Voice ( voice of socialism produced). In addition to these two cities, the party has branches in Galway , Cork and, more recently, in Kildare .
Although the CPI is an official and registered party, it rarely sends candidates into the election race - no CPI candidate has so far been successful. The CPI was involved in the trade union movement , in the Republican movement and in the Northern Irish civil rights movement. Some prominent members of the Irish Labor Party are former members of the CPI.
At the international level, relations are maintained with the Communist Party of Britain and many other European socialist and communist parties. The CPI runs the Connolly Books bookstore in Dublin and the youth organization is called the Connolly Youth Movement - both named after the Irish socialist James Connolly .
