Independent Fianna Fáil was a splinter republican party in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
created by
Neil Blaney after his expulsion from
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...
following the Irish
Arms Crisis
The Arms Crisis was a political scandal in the Republic of Ireland in 1970 in which Charles Haughey and Neil Blaney were dismissed as cabinet ministers for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle arms to the Irish Republican Army in North ...
(1969–1970). The party ceased to exist on 26 July 2006. It was never an officially registered political party:
Niall Blaney said in 2003 "I am an Independent and a member of an organisation known locally as Independent Fianna Fáil". Its candidates were listed on ballot papers without a party label, or the use of the "Non-party" label available to independents. However, the
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the bicameral parliament of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The two houses of the Oireachtas ( ga, Tithe an Oireachtais):
**Dáil Éireann ...
members' database lists Independent Fianna Fáil members separately.
Overview
The party existed mainly in
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
in the Republic of Ireland and, in particular, in Blaney's former constituency of
Donegal North-East.
Paddy Keaveney
Patrick Keaveney (28 October 1929 – 19 July 1995) was an Irish politician and businessman from County Donegal. He was a Cooperative manager and a member of the Independent Fianna Fáil party, and was a Teachta Dála (TD) for one year.
He w ...
(father of Fianna Fáil Senator
Cecilia Keaveney) was elected for Independent Fianna Fáil in the
by-election in 1976 following the death of
Liam Cunningham. Keaveney lost his seat at the
1977 general election. The group also briefly had a senator
James Larkin
James Larkin (28 January 1874 – 30 January 1947), sometimes known as Jim Larkin or Big Jim, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. He was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party (Ireland), Labou ...
, which was part of the
confidence and supply
In a parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system, confidence and supply are required for a ruling cabinet to retain power in the lower house.
A confidence-and-supply agreement is one whereby a party or independent members of par ...
agreement made with
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...
after the
February 1982 general election.
In
1979 Neil Blaney was elected to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
for the
Connacht–Ulster constituency. He sat in the
Technical Group of Independents which was a technical alliance of mainly
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...
MEPs
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, it ...
who were not allied with either the
Communists and Allies group or the mainstream
social-democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...
parties of the
Socialist Group. Blaney served as chair of the group along with the Italian Radical
Marco Pannella and Danish left-wing
Eurosceptic
Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies, and seek refor ...
Jens-Peter Bonde. Blaney narrowly lost his seat in the
1984 election but was returned to serve as an MEP in
1989 election
The following elections occurred in the year 1989.
Africa
* 1989 Beninese parliamentary election
* 1989 Botswana general election
* 1989 Equatorial Guinean presidential election
* 1989 People's Republic of the Congo parliamentary election
* 198 ...
where he sat with the regionalist
Rainbow Group.
Independent Fianna Fáil was a founder member of the
European Free Alliance
The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and ethnic minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, ...
in 1981, and remained a member of the organisation until 1995.
Tadhg Culbert was a councillor for Independent Fianna Fáil in the 1980s, before becoming an independent and eventually joining the official Fianna Fáil. IFF had also had representation on
Roscommon County Council – where Paddy Lenihan, brother of
Mary O'Rourke
Mary O'Rourke (; born 31 May 1937) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Leader of the Seanad and Leader of Fianna Fáil, Leader of Fianna Fáil in the Seanad from 2002 to 2007, Leader of Fianna Fáil, Deputy leader of Fianna ...
and uncle of
Brian Lenihan Jnr
Brian Joseph Lenihan (21 May 1959 – 10 June 2011) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from March 2011 to June 2011, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law ...
, defected from
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...
– and on
Leitrim County Council where Larry McGowan also defected, both doing so in 1981. They both retired in 1999, and neither seat was defended on the party's behalf.
Blaney's nephew
Niall Blaney was elected as an Independent Fianna Fáil
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms s ...
(TD) for the constituency in 2002, and in the
2004 local elections there were two IFF county councillors – both members of
Donegal County Council
Donegal County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Dhún na nGall) is the authority responsible for local government in County Donegal, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hou ...
– and two town councillors, one a member of
Letterkenny
Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the ...
Town Council and one a member of
Buncrana Town Council.
In a number of elections Paddy Kelly stood unsuccessfully under the Independent Fianna Fáil banner in elections in
Donegal South-West; he was however elected to the council for the
Glenties ward and served as a member until 2004.
Blaney legacy
*
Neal Blaney was elected to the
5th Dáil on 12 August 1927 as
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms s ...
and successfully contested all general elections until the
13th Dáil in 1948. He was defeated in the 1938 general election but was elected to the
3rd Seanad
This is a list of the members of the 3rd Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1938, after the 1938 general election and served until the close of poll for the ...
on the
Agricultural Panel.
* His son,
Neil Blaney successfully contested one by-election to succeed his father and 14 subsequent general elections. He was a TD from 1948 to 1995. He was a Cabinet Minister on several occasions.
*
Harry Blaney succeeded his brother Neil and was a TD in the
28th Dáil.
* Harry's son
Niall Blaney was a TD in the
29th Dáil
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra a ...
and the
30th Dáil
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societies ...
.
* Two of Neil Blaney's sons, MacDara and Eamonn, stood in the 2011 general election for
New Vision
The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online.
Overview
''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the '' Daily Monitor''. It is publ ...
.
Absorption by Fianna Fáil
Following talks with
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian ...
in the middle of 2006, Independent Fianna Fáil reunited with "official" Fianna Fáil on 26 July following a formal application by Niall Blaney to join Fianna Fáil. The merger between the two organisations was opposed by other members of the Blaney family, including all seven children of Neil Blaney and his widow Eva who issued a damning press release prior to Niall Blaney's decision castigating the Fianna Fáil party and disassociating themselves from any so called 'truce' with them.
Other uses
Jackie Healy-Rae,
TD for
Kerry South, ran under the banner of Independent Fianna Fáil, using the name on his posters and flyers as part of the
canvass for the
2007 general election, although he had no connection to Neil Blaney's Independent Fianna Fáil.
Former Fianna Fáil Dublin City Councillor Tony Taaffe ran in the 1997 general election using the Independent Fianna Fáil banner but was not associated with Blaney's party.
In October 2021 former Fianna Fáil TD
Marc MacSharry suggested he was considering reviving Independent Fianna Fáil.
See also
*
:Independent Fianna Fáil politicians
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Independent Fianna Fail
1973 establishments in Ireland
2006 disestablishments in Ireland
Defunct political parties in the Republic of Ireland
History of Fianna Fáil
Irish republican parties
Political parties disestablished in 2006
Political parties established in 1973
Politics of County Donegal