Democratic Socialist Party (Ireland)

The Democratic Socialist Party (DSP) was a small left-wing political party in the Republic of Ireland. The party was formed by a merger of Jim Kemmy's Limerick Socialist Organisation and the Socialist Party of Ireland.[1] Jim Kemmy was an Irish politician and member of Dáil Éireann. He left the Labour Party in 1972.[2] A number of members of the British and Irish Communist Organisation also joined the party.

This article is about the political party dissolved in 1990. For the political party founded in 2015, see Social Democrats (Ireland).

Democratic Socialist Party An Páirtí Sóisialach Daonlathach
Founder and leader	Jim Kemmy
Founded	1972
Dissolved	1990
Merger of	Limerick Socialist Organisation Socialist Party of Ireland
Merged into	Labour Party
Ideology	Democratic socialism Secularism Anti-nationalism
Political position	Left-wing
Politics of the Republic of Ireland Political parties Elections

The party had a political stance to the left of the Labour Party, and was strongly opposed to nationalist positions regarding Northern Ireland. Journalist Brian Trench claimed the DSP shared "the anti-republicanism and economism" of the 1980s Workers' Party, despite disagreeing with the WP on other issues.[3] In 1983 the party made submissions to the New Ireland Forum reflecting its non-nationalist position. It also held a strongly secularist position, opposing the influence of the Catholic Church on issues such as contraception, divorce and abortion.

The party never held any Dáil seats other than Kemmy's seat in Limerick East. Outside of Limerick City its membership was very small, although its positions on Northern Ireland and the Catholic Church attracted members of the British and Irish Communist Organisation (BICO) to it. In 1982, the Socialist Party of Ireland joined.

It merged with the Labour Party in 1990. Many of the BICO members in the party later joined the Democratic Left when that party was established in 1992.

A number of former members became successful electorally with the Labour Party such as Limerick TD Jan O'Sullivan, Dublin TD Michael Conaghan who was Lord Mayor of Dublin in 2004 and TD Eamonn Maloney. The historian John de Courcy Ireland was also a member of the party and a candidate in the 1984 European elections.[4]

List of the DSP electoral candidates

Election	Candidate	Constituency	1st Pref. votes	%
February 1982 general election	Jim Kemmy	Limerick East	6,502	13.7
1982 Dublin West by-election	Michael Conaghan	Dublin West	667	1.6
November 1982 general election
	Garry O'Sullivan	Cork South-Central	369	0.8
	Philip O'Connor	Dublin North-Central	224	0.6
	Séamus Rattigan	Dublin South-Central	303	0.7
	Denis O'Connor	Dublin South	479	0.9
	Michael Conaghan	Dublin West	476	1.0
	John de Courcy Ireland	Dún Laoghaire	1,036	2.1
	Jim Kemmy	Limerick East	4,125	8.7
1984 European Parliament election	John de Courcy Ireland	Dublin	5,350	1.9
1987 general election
	Philip O'Connor	Dublin North-Central	681	1.6
	Eamonn Maloney	Dublin South-West	223	0.5
	Michael Conaghan	Dublin West	600	1.2
	Jim Kemmy	Limerick East	5,920	11.9
1989 general election
	Michael Conaghan	Dublin West	668	1.4
	Jim Kemmy	Limerick East	9,168	19.8

General election results

Election	Seats won	±	Position	First Pref votes	%	Government	Leader
1982 (Nov)	0 / 166		None	7,012	0.4%	No Seats	Jim Kemmy
1987	1 / 166	1	6th	7,424	0.4%	Opposition	Jim Kemmy
1989	1 / 166		6th	9,836	0.6%	Opposition	Jim Kemmy

References

1. Peter Barberis; John McHugh; Mike Tyldesley; Helen Pendry (2000). Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations: Parties, Groups and Movements of the 20th Century. A&C Black. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8264-5814-8.
2. The Dynamics of Irish Politics by Paul Bew, Ellen Hazelkorn, Henry Patterson, (1989).
3. "Radical Fragments in a Southern Wilderness", Brian Trench, Fortnight Magazine, no. 196 (Jul/Aug),1983 pp. 5–6.
4. John de Courcy Ireland Elections Ireland website