Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party (Irish: Páirtí an Lucht Oibre) is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish political parties, Labour does not trace its origins to the original Sinn Féin. At the 2011 general election it gained 37 of the 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, almost double its total of 20 at the 2007 general election, making it the second largest political party in the 31st Dáil. The Labour Party has served in government for a total of nineteen years, six times in coalition either with Fine Gael alone or with Fine Gael and other smaller parties, and once with Fianna Fáil, giving it the second-longest time in government of Irish parties, next to Fianna Fáil. As of 9 March 2011 it is the junior partner in a coalition with Fine Gael for the period of the 31st Dáil. The current party leader is Eamon Gilmore, elected in October 2007 alongside Joan Burton as deputy leader. Gilmore is the current Tánaiste (deputy prime minister).
The Labour Party is a member of the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists, whilst the party's MEPs sit in the European Parliament group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Through these bodies Labour is linked with the Social Democratic and Labour Party in Northern Ireland.
Read more about Labour Party (Ireland): General Election Results and Governments, Structure, Affiliates, Leadership, Deputy Leader
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