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Labour Youth Óige an Lucht Oibre
Chairperson	Tadgh Quill-Manley
National Secretary	Dhruv Kadam
Founded	1979 (1979)
Ideology	Social democracy Pro-Europeanism Democratic socialism
Mother party	Labour Party
International affiliation	International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY)
European affiliation	Young European Socialists (YES)
Newspaper	The Left Tribune
Website	labouryouth.ie

Labour Youth is the youth wing of the Labour Party of Ireland. Membership is open to those aged from 15 to 30 years old.

History

1979–2000

Labour Youth succeeded the Young Labour League as a full section of the Labour Party in 1979, under party leader Frank Cluskey. Members were active in the election of presidential candidate Mary Robinson, forming a base of membership during the campaign that would provide the backbone of leadership within the organisation for years to come. They provided leadership to the National Youth Council of Ireland and in 1992 were among the founding members of the European Council of Socialist Youth. In 1999, along with the main party, Labour Youth merged with Democratic Left Youth.

2000–present

The Spring 2007 issue of Labour Youth's internal publication, The Left Tribune, shows support for abortion and same sex marriage, along with contributions from Michael D. Higgins. In the 2007 general election Labour Youth opposed a pre-election pact with Fine Gael. Also in 2007, it supported the Venezuelan revolution. The Autumn 2007 issue of The Left Tribune promotes Labour Youth's support of Cuba and its endorsement of the International Brigade in Spain, with then Labour Youth Recruitment Officer Enda Duffy featuring in a photograph of a panel at a commemoration event and the noted naming of the UCD Labour Youth branch in honour of Michael O'Riordan. Also in 2009, it collaborated with the Connolly Youth Movement (linked with the Communist Party) on environmental campaigns. The group undertook an active and visible role in the 2011 Irish general election in support of young candidates such as Ciara Conway, Patrick Nulty and Derek Nolan. They later called on the party to abandon talks on forming a coalition government with Fine Gael, describing the proposal as undemocratic.

Since the turn of the 2000s, Labour Youth has run campaigns on repealing the 8th Amendment, opposing sexism, extending voting rights to 16 and 17 year olds, workers rights, same-sex marriage, sexual consent and ending Direct Provision, along with other issues related to students and young people. Labour Youth also takes an active role in supporting young Labour candidates in elections. In 2009, the organisation donated €14,000 to 'young candidates'.

In 2015, Labour Youth released a policy paper on ending Zero Hour contracts and stated that Ireland was leading the way in LGBTQ+ rights. In February 2015, Chairperson Jack Eustace stated that more companies 'should follow Eircom's lead' in job creation. In 2016, it released a document opposing homophobia, transphobia and sexism. In May 2016, at a gathering of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) youth group and the Labour Party youth group in Belfast, joint chairs Grace Williams (LY) and Conal Browne (SDLP) emphasised the importance of young people supporting the EU. In June 2016, Labour Youth released a statement saying that they were 'deeply shocked' by the UK-EU Referendum result.

In 2017, Labour Youth released a document proposing state funded tuition for higher level education. In November 2016, former USI President Kevin Donoghue had been elected Chairperson of Labour Youth at the organisation's annual conference. In 2017, Labour Youth condemned the income-contingent loan scheme and launched a campaign for workers to be paid the Living Wage. In December 2017, actions by Labour Youth in Maynooth had been condemned as “juvenile” and “disrespectful” after ‘F*** the Pope’ was posted twice from their official social media account. An image of the Communications Officer of Labour Youth, Liam Haughey, was posted with him holding a sign which read “I am pro-choice because… F*** the Pope”. The Labour Party released a statement acknowledging the posts, saying they were brought to the party’s General Secretary but had since been removed.

In March 2018, Labour Youth welcomed the board of Trinity College’s decision to make concessions on two of the Take Back Trinity movement’s demands – to scrap the €450 charge for supplemental exams and granting fee certainty fees for postgraduate and international students. Labour Youth also called on Ryanair to 'address the concerns of pilots'. In late 2018, in the midst of Ireland's housing crisis, Labour Youth distanced itself from claims by the Labour Party leadership that direct actions such as occupations of buildings were not a valid form of political protest. This was followed by then Labour Youth Chairperson Chloe Manahan stating "Civil disobedience and protest have been core to this movement since its inception. It is crucial that Labour activists feel supported and empowered to do what is moral, just and right – not simply what is allowed”.

Labour Youth played an active role in the 2019 Irish local elections supporting several of their members who ran for local councils. Former Chair Kevin Donoghue was elected to Dublin City Council while former Secretary Ciara Galvin was elected to Kildare County Council. Labour Youth members canvassed for the United Kingdom's Labour Party in the 2019 United Kingdom general election. In 2019, Labour Youth reiterated its support of the EU. In September 2019, a Labour Youth campaign on 'decent housing for all' was launched by Chairperson Patrick Ahern.

Following his election at the Labour Youth National Conference in Waterford city, which was held on the weekend before 25 November 2019, Cormac Ó Braonáin was Labour Youth's Chairperson until his death on 15 December 2019. In the weeks following his death Adrian McCarthy announced his candidacy for chair and was subsequently elected in March 2020.

The year 2020 saw the re-expansion of Labour Youth branches at council level, such as the Labour Youth Lucan-Palmerstown Branch. June 2020 also saw long term Labour Youth activist and former National Youth Executive officer Declan Meenagh co-opted to Dublin City Council to replace Senator Marie Sherlock. Legally blind, Meenagh has long been known for his local activism in the Cabra-Glasnevin area along with his work on disability rights.

Labour Youth released a post-coronavirus society document in July 2020. In it included the retention of rent freezes, permanent state-ownership of hospitals, a 'revamp' of industrial relations, opposition to 'green' capitalism, the implementation of Slaintecare and a 'vast' housing programme, universal childcare, commitment to co-operatives, public ownership, cultural vibrancy, LQBTQ+ friendly spaces, the ending of worker exploitation, an overhaul of education and climate justice.

Structure

As a prominently student organisation, Labour Youth has long had a presence in many universities and (formerly) institutes of technology across Ireland. Originally confined to the larger universities such as Trinity, UCD and UCC, in more recent years efforts have been made to expand.

Labour Youth is currently represented in:

• Trinity College, Dublin
• University College Dublin
• Dublin City University
• Dublin Institute of Technology
• University College Cork
• Maynooth University
• Institute of Technology, Carlow
• National University of Ireland, Galway
• Cork Institute of Technology

Constituency/Combined Constituency level:

• Dublin South West
• Dublin South Central
• Dublin Central
• Dublin Bay North
• Dublin Rathdown
• Dublin West
• Dublin Mid-West
• Kildare North
• Kildare South
• Louth-Meath
• Northern Ireland
• Tipperary
• Wexford
• Wicklow
• Cork East
• Carlow-Kilkenny
• Cork South Central
• Cork North Central

Council level:

• Labour Youth Lucan-Palmerstown Branch

Executive

The National Executive Committee (NEC) is responsible for the day-to-day running of Labour Youth. Officers are elected for two year terms to the NEC at every second Youth Conference, held in November each year. The Labour Party Youth & Development Officer, currently Sumyrah Khan, is an ex-officio, non-voting member of the NEC.

Current Executive

Former National Chairs

Tom Johnson Summer School

The Tom Johnson Summer School is held annually in July and has been going since 1994. It is named after Thomas Johnson, the first leader of the Labour Party and the only leader of the party to date to serve as the leader of the opposition in Dáil Éireann. At Tom Johnson, panel discussions are held on a number of topics connected to the broad theme, with speakers from within and outside of the Party.

Publications

Labour Youth publishes The Left Tribune on a regular basis.

References

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2. "NYCI".
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8. "Labour shies away from youth wing's 'free legal abortion' call". Irish Independent. 8 July 2006. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
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10. "#Repealthe8th leaflet from The Labour Party". Irish Election Literature. 26 September 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
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17. Says, seachranaidhe1 (29 March 2018). "Poster about Consent from Labour Youth". Irish Election Literature. Retrieved 9 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
18. "Grant Asylum Seekers The Right to Work leaflet from Labour Youth". Irish Election Literature. 4 February 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
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20. "Tackling Zero Hour Contracts". Issuu. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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30. Brady, Chai (14 December 2017). "'Juvenile' Labour Youth reminded of social media codes". The Irish Catholic. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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33. "No divergence between Howlin and party's youth wing, says Labour". The Irish Times.
34. "Dublin City Council: Chu Sets the Pace with Green Party Making Gains in All Areas". Irish Times.
35. "Co Kildare Mum Who Has New Baby Said She Went from Couch to Council in 3 Months". Kildare Now. 26 May 2019.
36. Crewe, Simon Carswell in. "On the UK canvass: Brexit tensions make for vicious election". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
37. Cormac Ó Braonáin (6 October 2019). "Great to represent @Labour with @chloemanno at the PES Academy in Leuven, Belgium over the weekend. Lots of campaigning strategies and stories shared among our @PES_PSE European Comrades. Looking forward to sharing all their brilliant ideas back home in Ireland 🌹🇪🇺 #PESAcademy https://t.co/TlNJ93qqj4" (Tweet). Retrieved 4 January 2021 – via Twitter.
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42. "Cyclist who died after collision with Luas named as Labour Youth Chair Cormac Ó Braonáin". TheJournal.ie. 15 December 2019.
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45. Pope, Conor; Bowers, Shauna. "Cyclist who died in Luas collision was chair of Labour Youth". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
46. "LGBT+ community pays tribute to Labour Youth leader who died after collision with Luas". GCN. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
47. "Labour Youth Elect New Chairperson".
48. ^ "Labour Youth Lucan/Palmerstown". facebook.com. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
49. "Agenda for Monthly Council Meeting on Monday 8th June, 2020, 6.15 pm". 8 June 2020.
50. "Local elections battleground: From dog poo to housing crisis". The Irish Times.
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53. O'Mahony, Eleanor (11 November 2017). "Trinity Student Elected National Chair of Labour Youth". The University Times. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
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57. "Alan's Biography". Alan Kelly - Minister for the Environment, Community & Local Government. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
58. Sat; Feb, 24; 2001 - 08:32 (24 February 2001). "Labour youth fear increases in election spending". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 6 December 2024. {{cite web}}: |first2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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60. "Labour Youth welcomes reinstatement of Joint Labour Committees – Labour Youth". Retrieved 6 December 2024.
61. Boland, Lauren (3 December 2018). "Trinity student elected Chair of Labour Youth". Trinity News. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
62. "Cyclist who died in Luas collision was chair of Labour Youth". The Irish Times. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
63. "Labour Youth Elect New Chairperson". The Labour Party. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
64. "New Labour Youth Chair - Hugh Murphy". The Labour Party. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
65. "Labour Youth Conference 2023". The Labour Party. Retrieved 6 December 2024.

External links

• Official website
• The Left Tribune

v t e Labour Party
History	Founders James Connolly James Larkin William O'Brien Associated organisations Democratic Left Democratic Socialist Party Irish Land and Labour Association Irish Worker League Militant Tendency National Labour Party Republican Labour Party Socialist Labour Party
Leadership	Leaders Thomas Johnson Thomas J. O'Connell William Norton Brendan Corish Frank Cluskey Michael O'Leary Dick Spring Ruairi Quinn Pat Rabbitte Eamon Gilmore Joan Burton Brendan Howlin Alan Kelly Ivana Bacik Deputy leaders Barry Desmond Ruairi Quinn Brendan Howlin Liz McManus Joan Burton Alan Kelly Seanad leaders Michael Ferris Jack Harte Jan O'Sullivan Joe Costello Brendan Ryan Alex White Phil Prendergast Ivana Bacik Rebecca Moynihan Presidents Proinsias De Rossa Michael D. Higgins
Leadership elections	2014 (Burton) 2016 (Howlin) 2020 (Kelly) 2022 (Bacik)
Party structures	Leader of the Labour Party Labour Party Front Bench Labour Youth Labour Women
Presidential candidates	Mary Robinson (1990) Adi Roche (1997) Michael D. Higgins (2011)
Elected representatives	Dáil Éireann Ciarán Ahern Ivana Bacik Alan Kelly Eoghan Kenny George Lawlor Ged Nash Robert O'Donoghue Conor Sheehan Marie Sherlock Duncan Smith Mark Wall Seanad Éireann Annie Hoey Rebecca Moynihan European Parliament Aodhán Ó Ríordáin
International affiliations	European Party of European Socialists Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats International Progressive Alliance Socialist International

v t e Members of Young European Socialists (YES)
Full members	Armenia: Haygagan Yeridasartats Tashnagtsutiun Austria: Sozialistische Jugend, Sozialistische StudentInnen Belgium: Jongsocialisten, Jeunes socialistes Bulgaria: BSM, ELMA Croatia: FM SDP Cyprus: NEOS Czech Republic: Mladí Sociální Demokraté Denmark: Social Democratic Youth Estonia: Noorsotsid Finland: Demarinuoret, SONK France: Jeunes Socialistes Germany: Jusos, SJD – Die Falken Greece: Neolaia PASOK Hungary: FiB Ireland: Labour Youth Italy: Young Democrats, Federation of Young Socialists Latvia: JGS Lithuania: LSDJS Luxembourg: Jeunesses Socialistes Macedonia: SDMM Malta: Labour Youths Netherlands: Jonge Socialisten Poland: FMS, FMUP Portugal: Juventude Socialista Romania: Tineretul Social Democrat Serbia: Democratic Youth, Social Democratic Youth Slovakia: Mladí sociálni demokrati Slovenia: Mladi Forum SD Spain: Juventudes Socialistas Sweden: S-Studenter, SSU Switzerland: Young Socialists Turkey: CHP Gençlik Kolları United Kingdom: Young Labour, Labour Students, Young Fabians Northern Ireland: SDLP Youth
Observers	Israel: Young Meretz/Meretz Youth, HaMishmeret HaTse'ira (Young Labour) Norway: Workers' Youth League
Candidate Members	Latvia: Restart Latvia
See also: Party of European Socialists

• Labour Party (Ireland)
• Youth wings of political parties in Ireland
• Youth wings of social democratic parties