Muintir na hÉireann (; meaning "People of Ireland") was a minor
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, with
socially conservative and
populist policies. It was founded in 1994 and active in the 1990s. The party had one public representative, former
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
councillor
Richard Greene, who served one term on
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities that s ...
from 1991 to 1999. Greene left the Green Party in protest at its "left-wing social agenda", particularly its refusal to adopt an
anti-abortion
Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...
policy, and his party reflected his views on issues such as family values and the extradition of Irish republicans convicted of terrorist offenses to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
In 1995, Muintir supported independence of
Chechnya
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
from
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. The party endorsed
Mildred Fox
Mildred Fox (born 17 June 1971) is a former Irish Independent politician. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 1995 to 2007.
Private life
She was educated at St. Kilian's Community School in Bray and is a graduate of U ...
in the
1995 Wicklow by-election for her anti-abortion stance.
In 1996, Muintir sought a boycott of
Virgin Media
Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...
for selling
pornography
Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults, .
In late 1996, Greene's relationship with Muintir na hÉireann broke down.
Though its archived website does not explicitly espouse
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
values in its opening statement, Barberis, McHugh and Tyldesley (2005) write that Muintir na hÉireann "asserts traditional social values derived from Christian and specifically
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
teaching".
Unlike Nora Bennis's contemporaneous conservative party, the
National Party, Muintir did not contest the
1997 general election apart from Richard Greene's independent candidacy in
Dublin South. Greene lost his council seat in the
1999 local elections. The party is defunct.
References
External links
* Barberis, Peter, John McHugh and Mike Tyldesley, 2005. Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organisations. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. ,
Defunct political parties in the Republic of Ireland
Defunct Christian political parties
Political parties established in 1994
Conservative parties in Ireland
1994 establishments in Ireland
Political parties disestablished in 1996
1996 disestablishments in Ireland
Right-wing politics in Ireland
{{Ireland-party-stub