Review
"this book represents an invaluable account of 50 years of largely forgotten Party history, and it's for this reason that the book is so valuable. The author gives detailed accounts of events such as the disaffiliation of the ITGWU from the party, and it's subsequent reaffiliation 20 years later, to the events around the 28-year leadership of the party by William Norton. With the level of detail provided on these events, Puirseil's work represents one of the most significant additions to the public history of our Party. The author may not be overly fond of her subject, but in constructing such a detailed account of this 50 year period, she has done us an enormous service." Neil Ward - Labour News UK March 2009 "I would urge the leader of the Labour Party ... to present every Labour TD with a copy of this book. And I would urge them to read it." John Horgan Irish Times May 2007 "This is a well written and deeply researched book, and a sobering slap in the face to those who wonder why the Left in Ireland struggles to assert itself." The Sunday Business Post June 2007 "The book is an outstanding piece of research - sober in judgement, rich in detail, and beautifully written." Irish Examiner July 2007 "This is a comprehensive and insightful study." Books Ireland Summer 2007 "Niamh Puirseil's recently published history of the Labour Party's first 50 years is a warmly welcomed addition to what remains a barren field. Published by UCD Press [it] fills an important vacuum in our knowledge of the party and the more general political context ... [it] deserves to be widely read, by supporters and critics of the party alike." Magill August/Sept 2007 "Niamh Puirseil has produced an invaluable reference work for anyone interested in her subject. It brims with facts presented in an easy style spiced with a pleasant ironic humour." History Ireland, Sept Oct 2007 "It is dense and extremely detailed. The author is unafraid to make assessments or draw conclusions and there is a fine degree of intelligent analysis on display." Books Ireland Oct 2007 "a seriously researched study which is not afraid to debunk the myths of previous historians, and is written with a sense of humour which is still too rare in labour history." Red Banner 70 2007 "a most important book which contributes to a greater understanding of the history of modern Ireland and the contribution made by Labour to it. As such it embraces what traditional historians have long ignored. To a certain extent Labour has been written out of Irish history and this book goes some way towards redressing this." Irish Studies Review Winter 2007/8 "This is a thought-provoking study peppered with many original observations. A high quality of research is maintained throughout the book, with Puirseil's wide archival and newspaper trawl and an excellent employment of the (still underused) Dail debates reaping dividends in the production of this lively account of the Labour Party's history ... has now raised the bar for such future works..." Irish Political Studies Jan 2008 "an enthralling read that deserves much academic and literary credit ... belongs in every history classroom in this state." The Left Tribune Vol 3 Issue 2 2008 "if Puirseil's intention was to eschew crude paradigms, where evidence is marshalled to 'prove' pre-determined conclusions, then she succeeds admirably in that regard. This is a balanced and fascinating appraisal of the Labour Party, written with wry humour and an eye for the telling detail A... The book is particularly strong on Labour's time in government and, as one would expect, the party is treated primarily as an electoral organisation rather than a social movement A... Puirseil has engaged with the secondary sources, scoured the archives and conducted interviews with several leading figures, and the depth of research is apparent throughout. It is a confident, authoritative and measured study that will be the starting point for all future research on the Irish Labour Party." Fintan Lane Irish Historical Studies vol. XXXVI No. 141 May 2008 "Niamh Puirseil's study of the Labour Party fills an important gap in both the history of political parties and labour history. - [her] study is based on a wide range of new sources and intelligent use of existing archives. She is to be commended for her mature judgement on many of the key issues that faced the Labour Party and Irish party system during this time. She demonstrates that there was a considerable problem of Communist infiltration of the party in the 1940s - [and] provides a careful and reasonably sympathetic assessment of William Norton, the long-standing leader of the party. But perhaps the most important re-evaluation here is that of Brendan Corish - Purseil highlights Corish's decisive influence when the party moved to the left during the late 1960s [providing] a more nuanced and carefully documented appreciation of this labour politician." English Historical Review CXXIV 506 February 2009
Product Description
The first fifty years of the state saw Ireland change dramatically, and the Irish Labour Party changed with it. Using a wealth of new material, Niamh Puirseil traces the party's fortunes through its first fifty years in the Dail, from its perceived role as the 'political wing of the St Vincent de Paul' to its promise that the 1970s would be socialist. As well as examining the competing currents in the party itself, she also looks at Labour's relationship with different organisations and movements, including trade unions, republicans, the far left, the Catholic Church, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, as well as with other Social Democratic parties in Britain and Northern Ireland. "The Irish Labour Party, 1922-1973" is an outstanding contribution to the political history of twentieth-century Ireland. Over the course of the book, Niamh Puirseil charts the ever-depressing fortunes of the Labour party. Her exhaustive research provides a penetrating analysis of the myriad personalities and structures of the Labour Party, and shows a new picture of a party that seemed throughout the period to be hell bent on pressing the self-destruct button. This book offers a fresh and insightful look at a party riven by factions throughout its existence, and one that never reached its potential for a variety of reasons all outlined here. This book marks a major contribution to our understanding, not simply of the Labour Party, but of twentieth-century Ireland itself.
