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🎙 New podcast episode, featuring politically influential books, films, music, events and media from several of our guests throughout the year.

Happy new year! Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Irish Left Archive during 2023 by donating documents, offering feedback and appearing on (and listening to!) the podcast!

https://podcast.leftarchive.ie/@ILAPodcast/episodes/politics-and-cultural-influence

Published #OnThisDay 13th April 1973, a "Special Election Bulletin" from the Democratic Student Front.

The group was formed by the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist) in Trinity College Dublin to contest the student representative council elections.

https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/457/

Irish Left ArchiveSpecial Election Bulletin, 13th April 1973 (1973) — Democratic Student FrontCommentary and PDF of Special Election Bulletin, 13th April 1973, published by Democratic Student Front.

#OnThisDay 31st March 1976, the Sallins Train robbery occurred.

Three members of the IRSP were charged with the robbery and convicted despite evidence of torture after arrest. A significant campaign for the release of Nicky Kelly was organised. Kelly was ultimately released, and later received a presidential pardon and compensation.

Here are documents from the campaign in our collection: https://www.leftarchive.ie/subject/2674/

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The other Saor Éire was a Maoist-influenced group in Cork, and a successor to the Irish Revolutionary Forces. It published a magazine called People's Voice, which can be read in the archive: https://www.leftarchive.ie/publication/131/

Associated with Jim Lane, members went on to join the Irish Communist Organisation (ICO), though later left to form the Cork Communist Organisation after the ICO moved to the "two nations" theory.

Irish Left ArchivePeople's VoicePeople's Voice in the Irish Left Archive. People’s Voice was the publication of the Saor Éire group in Cork (successor of the Irish Revolutionary Forces, and not to be confused with the Dublin-based group of the same name). It was published monthly, beginning in November 1968. Six issues were produced. …
Continued thread

Two unconnected later groups, active in the late 1960s and early 70s, also had the name Saor Éire.

One was a Republican "urban guerilla" group formed by former IRA members and Trotskyists, also known as the Saor Éire Action Group. It was involved in a number of bank robberies to fund arms purchases in the late 60s. By 1975 it had dissolved.

Their manifesto, reportedly printed by Peter Graham using the presses of Red Mole in London (the publication of the International Marxist Group), is available in the archive here: https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/1712/

Irish Left ArchiveSaor Éire Manifesto (1971) — Saor Éire [1967]Commentary and PDF of Saor Éire Manifesto, published by Saor Éire [1967].

The Draft Constitution and Rules of Saor Éire: https://www.leftarchive.ie/document/6252/

Saor Éire was a short-lived left Republican and communist organisation founded by members of the IRA in 1931. Notable among its founders were Peadar O’Donnell, Frank Ryan and George Gilmore.

It brought together members of the Revolutionary Workers’ Groups (RWG), which was chiefly Dublin-based, and the Irish Working Farmers’ Congress (IWFC), which had been established by O’Donnell in 1930 and was associated with Krestintern, the Peasants International.

Irish Left ArchiveSaor Éire: Draft Constitution and Rules (1931) — Saor Éire [1931]Commentary and PDF of Saor Éire: Draft Constitution and Rules, published by Saor Éire [1931].