86th Anniversary Of The Republican Congress
The Republican Congress was established at a special conference in Athlone over the 7th and 8th of April, 1934. The 200 attendees included IRA volunteers, housing activists, small farmers, unemployed workers and trade unionists.
The political background to the conference was one of growing political agitation around a wide range of issues including, but not limited to, worker’s rights, housing and land annuities. In the Six Counties, the trade union struggle was having some success in bridging sectarian division between Catholic and Protestant workers.
On the European mainland Nazi and Blackshirt fascism had won power in Germany and Italy, while the Blueshirt fascist menace was growing in Ireland.
But despite the objective conditions at home and abroad the collective IRA leadership refused to fully embrace anti-fascist or class struggle.
At an IRA Convention in March 1934, proposals from socialist republican delegates to re-orientate the IRA in a decidedly socialist direction were narrowly defeated. This led to a walk-out by leading IRA figures including Michael Price, Peadar O’Donnell, George Gilmore and Frank Ryan.
The new movement was set up on an anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist, republican platform. Over the next year Republican Congress activists campaigned on behalf of impoverished tenants, striking workers and small farmers. The movement served as a rallying point for activists and groups from all over Ireland.
In Belfast, meetings were well attended in both Protestant and Catholic areas. The depth of activism alarmed conservative Ireland and attacks by reactionary crowds, whipped up into an anti-communist frenzy by well organised forces, would soon become a regular feature at Republican Congress public meetings.
In September 1934, the first Republican Congress was held in Rathmines, Dublin. Differences emerged over structure and tactics. Failure to achieve consensus on whether to organise as a new socialist party or to remain as a united front and on what sort of a republic should be advocated for caused a split in the new movement. These divisions had the effect of sapping enthusiasm, morale and drive, much to the delight of conservative Ireland.
In December 1936, after the outbreak of war in Spain, scores of Republican Congress volunteers travelled to fight in defence of the Spanish Republic. Under the banner of the Connolly Column, they laid down a marker for Irish internationalism. Throughout 1930’s Ireland, Republican Congress activists exemplified themselves for their active opposition to both fascism and sectarianism. For this, they should be remembered by all Irish people today.