Revolutionary Workers' Groups (RWG) were left wing groups in Ireland officially founded in 1930 with the objective of creating a Revolutionary Workers' Party. Formed initially as the ''Preparatory Committee for the Formation of a Workers’ Revolutionary Party'', it changed its name in November 1930. It was helped to be established by Bob Stewart and Tom Bell from the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

and

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

. In 1933 they disbanded and established the

Communist Party of Ireland The Communist Party of Ireland (CPI) is a Marxist–Leninist party, founded in 1970 and active in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland following a merger of the Irish Workers' Party and the Communist Party of Northern Ireland. It ra ...

History

The group produced a weekly paper '' The Irish Workers' Voice'', first issued on April 5, 1930, with the Scottish socialist Tom Bell as its editor.A history of the communist movement in Ireland - 1929-1941
www.communistpartyofireland.ie The paper went on to be a publication for the Communist party, and was consistently published up to 1936. They had their headquarters in 64 Great Strand Street in Dublin, which was named "Connolly House", opened in 1932 as a socialist bookshop.History
- Connolly Books Website. The RWG ran two candidates in the newly reconstituted 1930 Dublin Corporation election. James Larkin Jnr, was successful.Communist Party of Ireland History
/ref> The RWG ran two candidates in Dublin in the

1932 Irish general election The 1932 Irish general election to the 7th Dáil was held on Tuesday, 16 February, following the dissolution of the 6th Dáil on 29 January by Governor-General James McNeill on the advice of President of the Executive Council W. T. Cosgrav ...

, Joseph Troy and Jim Larkin, Jnr. Members also ran in Belfast municipal elections: Tommy Geehan in Falls, and Phil Wilson and William Boyd in Cromac. The RWG was banned by the Cosgrave government in 1931, under the Coercion Act, along with 11 other organisations. The ban was lifted by the de Valera government following the victory of

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

at the 1932 general election. In Northern Ireland, the Revolutionary Workers' Groups set up the ''Outdoor Relief Workers Committee'' in July 1932, to help workers in the campaign against Task work, and for better conditions and

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

recognition. The RWG headquarters, known as "Connolly House", was attacked by anti-communists during the 1933 Dublin riot. Members of the RWG included many Irish communists such as

James Gralton James Gralton (17 April 1886 – 29 December 1945) was an Irish socialist leader who became a United States citizen after emigrating in 1909 and, later, the only Irishman ever deported from independent Ireland. Biography Early life James Gralt ...

and Sean Murray. In June 1933 the Communist Party of Ireland was formed and the RWG disbanded.

References

{{Historic Irish parties 1930 establishments in Ireland 1933 disestablishments in Ireland Communist organisations in Ireland Communist Party of Ireland Defunct organisations based in the Republic of Ireland Political parties established in 1930 Political parties disestablished in 1933