List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland facts for kids

Ireland has many political parties, and different parties often work together to form a government. The two biggest parties for a long time were Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They both came from an older party called Sinn Féin.

Fine Gael is like the grandchild of a party called Cumann na nGaedheal. This party supported a special agreement in 1921 called the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Fianna Fáil was formed by people who were against this Treaty and didn't want to join the parliament. This disagreement about the Treaty also led to the Irish Civil War (1922–23). Because of this, people sometimes call their rivalry "Civil War politics" instead of the usual "left-right" political differences.

As of 2023^[update], Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin have the most members in Dáil Éireann (Ireland's main parliament). Fine Gael is the third largest. The Green Party became bigger than the Labour Party in 2020. The Labour Party started in 1912 and used to be the third biggest party. Now, it's the fifth largest, followed closely by the Social Democrats.

The Electoral Commission keeps a list of all registered political parties. To be on this list and run in national elections, a party needs at least one member in Dáil Éireann or the European Parliament. Or, it needs 300 members who are 18 or older. For parties that only run in local elections, they need 100 members who are 18 or older. In both cases, at least half of the members must be registered to vote.

Main Political Parties in Ireland

Party Information

How Many Members Each Party Has

Parties in the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas)

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil is one of the biggest parties in the Dáil. It also has the most members on city and county councils. This party has been in government more than any other. Before 1989, it usually governed alone. Since then, it has led coalition governments with other parties. Fianna Fáil is part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party. Its leader is Tánaiste Micheál Martin.

The party was started in 1926 by Éamon de Valera. He left Sinn Féin because they wouldn't take their seats in parliament. Fianna Fáil was first elected in 1932. It promised to remove old links with Britain and help people find jobs. It helped build many industries in Ireland. Because of this, it gained support from all kinds of people, making it a "populist" party. This means it tries to appeal to a wide range of people.

Fianna Fáil has 36 members in the Dáil (called TDs), 21 Senators, two members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and 276 local councillors.

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is also one of the biggest parties in the Dáil. It is the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The name Sinn Féin means "ourselves" or "we ourselves." This name has been used by different political groups in Ireland since 1905. Sinn Féin was a key party pushing for Ireland's independence. In the 1918 Irish general election, it won most of the Irish seats.

The modern Sinn Féin party started in 1970 after a split. It was sometimes called Provisional Sinn Féin. It was linked to a group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The party is currently led by Mary Lou McDonald.

Sinn Féin has 36 TDs, four Senators, one MEP, and 81 local councillors in the Republic of Ireland.

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is the third largest party in the Dáil. It is the second largest party in local government. It also has the most MEPs from Ireland. It was formed in 1933. It joined together with Cumann na nGaedheal (which had supported the Treaty and governed from 1922 to 1932), a group called the National Guard (also known as the Blueshirts), and a smaller party.

Fine Gael is a centre-right party and a member of the European People's Party. Its leader is Simon Harris. If you include Cumann na nGaedheal's time, Fine Gael has been in government for many periods. From 1948 until 2016, it usually led coalition governments with the Labour Party and sometimes other smaller parties. In the 2011 election, Fine Gael became the largest party in the Oireachtas.

Fine Gael has 34 TDs, 16 Senators, five MEPs, and 254 local councillors.

Green Party

The Green Party started in 1981. It is connected to the European Green Party. In 2005, the Green Party in Northern Ireland decided to become part of the Irish Green Party. This made it the second party to be organized across all of Ireland.

In June 2007, the Green Party joined a coalition government with Fianna Fáil. They left this government in January 2011. In the 2011 Irish general election, they lost all their seats in the Dáil.

In the 2020 election, they became the fourth largest party in parliament. The Green Party has 12 TDs, five Senators, two MEPs, and 45 local councillors.

Labour Party

The Labour Party is a social democratic party. It was founded in 1912 as part of the trade union movement. It still has links with trade unions today. For most of Ireland's history, it was the third largest party. However, it is currently the fifth largest party in parliament.

It has been part of coalition governments many times. Usually, it was in a coalition with Fine Gael. From 1993 to 1994, it was with Fianna Fáil. The Labour Party joined with a smaller party called Democratic Left in 1999. It is a member of the Party of European Socialists. Its leader since March 2022 is Ivana Bacik.

The Labour Party has seven TDs, four Senators, and 55 local councillors.

Social Democrats

The Social Democrats party was started in July 2015. It was founded by three independent TDs: Catherine Murphy, Róisín Shortall, and Stephen Donnelly. Stephen Donnelly later left to join Fianna Fáil.

The Social Democrats have six TDs and 22 local councillors.

People Before Profit–Solidarity

People Before Profit–Solidarity is a group of parties that work together for elections. These parties are People Before Profit (PBP), Solidarity, and the Socialist Party. They formed this group in October 2015 but still organize themselves separately. Their goal is to build a large left-wing party and eventually form a left-wing government.

The Socialist Party was formed in 1989. Its first member elected to national parliament was Joe Higgins. It is now part of the People Before Profit–Solidarity group.

The Socialist Workers Network (SWN) was founded in 1971. SWN member Richard Boyd Barrett was elected to the Dáil as part of People Before Profit in the 2011 Irish general election.

Together, these parties have five TDs (four from PBP, one from Solidarity) and ten local councillors.

Independent Ireland

Independent Ireland was registered in November 2023. It was started by two TDs, Michael Collins and Richard O'Donoghue. They were both part of a group called Rural Independents.

Independent Ireland has three TDs and six local councillors.

Aontú

Aontú is a party that operates across all of Ireland. It has left-wing ideas about the economy but conservative social views. It was founded in 2019 by Peadar Tóibín.

Aontú has one TD and three local councillors in the Republic of Ireland. It also has two councillors in Northern Ireland.

Right to Change

Right to Change was founded in May 2020. It has one TD, Joan Collins, and two local councillors.

Independents 4 Change

Independents 4 Change has been a registered political party since 2014. Its registered officer is MEP Mick Wallace.

They have two MEPs and two local councillors.

Human Dignity Alliance

The Human Dignity Alliance (HDA) was started by Senator Rónán Mullen in June 2018.

HDA has one Senator.

Parties Represented Only on Local Councils

Workers and Unemployed Action

Workers and Unemployed Action (WUA) is a left-wing political group formed in 1985 by Séamus Healy.

WUA has one local councillor.

Workers' Party

The Workers' Party is a Marxist–Leninist party. It is organized in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 1992, many members left to form a new party called Democratic Left. This new party later joined with the Labour Party in 1999.

The Workers' Party has one councillor on Cork City Council.

Kerry Independent Alliance

The Kerry Independent Alliance has one councillor on Kerry County Council.

Republican Sinn Féin

Republican Sinn Féin was formed in 1986. Its members did not agree with Sinn Féin's decision to allow elected members to take their seats in Dáil Éireann.

They have one councillor, Tomás Ó Curraoin, on Galway County Council. Since the party is not officially registered, he is listed as an independent councillor.

Independent Left

Independent Left has one councillor, John Lyons, on Dublin City Council. He used to be a member of People Before Profit. Since the party is not officially registered, he is listed as an independent councillor.

An Rabharta Glas

An Rabharta Glas is an eco-socialist party. It was mainly formed by former members of the Green Party in 2021.

It has one councillor, Lorna Bogue, on Cork City Council. Since the party is not officially registered, she is listed as an independent councillor.

Parties with No Elected Members

See also

• List of political parties by country
• List of political parties in Northern Ireland