Draft:Síol na hÉireann
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Síol na hÉireann Seed of Ireland | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Niall McConnell |
| Founder | Niall McConnell[1] |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Newspaper | The Irish Patriot |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[3][7][8][9] |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Colours | Green |
| Website | |
| www | |
Síol na hÉireann (English: Seed of Ireland) is a far-right political party that operates in the Republic of Ireland.[citation needed] The group is not registered as a political party.
Background and activities
[edit]Established ahead of the 2020 Irish election (February 2020),[2] Síol na hÉireann was created following the publication of the newspaper The Irish Patriot by the group's founder[1] and leader Niall McConnell.[10] Later in the year, the group held a protest against the Eid al-Adha prayer gathering in Croke Park, Dublin (which was met by counter-protesters).[5][11] In August 2020, the group organised a demonstration outside a church in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, in response to the priest permitting a Muslim blessing during mass within the chapel. The group denounced the priest as a "heretic" and accused him of introducing "foreign, satanic cultists" into the sacred space.[5][7] Additionally, the party staged a protest outside an Islamic Centre in Ballyhaunis[12] and actively engaged in multiple demonstrations opposing the Irish government's policies during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the remainder of the year.[3][8]
Ideology and policies
[edit]Desribed as a "nationalist fringe group" in 2020 by The Times,[3] Síol na hÉireann is a pro-life Irish and Christian nationalist political party.[5][6][7][failed verification] Situated on the far right of the political spectrum, the group is opposed to immigration into Ireland,[4][6] and is particularly anti-Muslim, staging demonstrations against what it calls the "Islamisation of Ireland".[5] Its members have also carried banners stating "No Sharia in Ireland" at protests targeting Muslim places of worship.[7][13] Members of the group have also been noted for their opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, aligning itself with right-wing Catholic views.[6]
McConnell's principal policies, as published in the Síol na hÉireann online paper, included:[10]
- Repatriating all illegal immigrants and foreign criminals;
- Overturning the abortion referendum;
- [Ireland] leaving the European Union (EU);
- Opposing pornographic literacy[Literature?] in sex education; and
- Scrapping the Carbon Tax
The group's leader, Niall McConnell, denied being labelled an "anti-Muslim", and claimed that he was "anti-Islam and anti-Zionist".[5]
Electoral results
[edit]Dáil Éireann
[edit]| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[14] | Niall McConnell | 580[a] | 0.02 | 0 / 160
|
 0
|
Extra-parliamentary |
| 2024[15] | 1,565[a] | 0.07 | 0 / 174
|
0
|
Extra-parliamentary |
Local government
[edit]| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024[16] | 880[a] | 1.15 | 0 / 37
|
0
|
Extra-parliamentary |
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c As Independent candidates.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Crumbling homes, far-right candidates and new parties: Why Donegal is one to watch". The Journal. 28 November 2024. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024.
- ^ a b "Proclamation! – Síol na hÉireann" (PDF). cloudfront.net. Síol na hÉireann. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d Mooney, John (11 October 2020). "Ireland's far right unmasked". The Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Síol na hÉireann – Ireland Belongs To The Irish!". irishpatriots.com. Síol na hÉireann. Archived from the original on 21 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Anti-Lockdown Activity: Ireland Country Profile" (PDF). isdglobal.org. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Far-Right Hate and Extremist Groups – Ireland". globalextremism.org. Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Archived from the original on 23 August 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Ireland 2020 International Religious Freedom Report" (PDF). state.gov. United States Department of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 February 2025.
In August, members of the far-right group Siol na hEireann protested outside the church of a Catholic priest who had allowed two members of the Muslim community to give a blessing at a Mass in April and accused him of being a heretic. Five members of this group held an anti-Muslim protest at a mosque in Mayo in October. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), an independent statutory body, reported it received 36 complaints of employment discrimination based on religion in 2019.
- ^ a b Gallagher, Conor (19 September 2020). "The far right rises: Its growth as a political force in Ireland". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020.
Its march on Saturday was led by a formal "colour party" made up of members of a Donegal-based far-right group called Siol na hÉireann.
- ^ Óg Ó Ruairc, Pádraig (14 November 2024). "The Free State's Fascists". Tribune. Archived from the original on 23 February 2025.
The Covid-19 pandemic was also exploited by far-right groups while the Gardaí largely ignored the emerging far-right threat. The Irish anti-lockdown movement united anti-immigrant activists, neo-Nazis, Catholic fundamentalists, anti-vaxxers, and other conspiracy theorists just when the first modern Irish far-right parties began to organise. These included the Irish Freedom Party, which has links to both UKIP and the German Alternative für Deutschland, and Síol na hÉireann, which has strong ties to former BNP leader Nick Griffin, as well as Jayda Fransen and Jim Dowson, both formerly of Britain First.
- ^ a b "Election 2020: Independent candidate launches his own newspaper". Donegal Daily. 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020.
- ^ "Tensions at Croke Park as far right gathered to protest against Eid celebration". the-beacon.ie. The Beacon. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020.
- ^ "'Inquiries ongoing' after Síol na hÉireann stages protest outside Ballyhaunis Islamic Centre". the-beacon.ie. The Beacon. 29 October 2020. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021.
- ^ McGarry, Patsy (16 October 2020). "Diarmuid Martin warns against religious intolerance, anti-mask behaviour". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020.
- ^ "General Election 2020 Results". RTÉ News. 9 February 2020. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Election 2024 Results". RTÉ News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2024.
- ^ "Notice of Poll - Lifford / Stranorlar LEA". Donegal County Council. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024.
- Anti-abortion organisations in the Republic of Ireland
- Anti-immigration politics in Europe
- 2020 establishments in Ireland
- Political parties established in 2020
- Far-right politics in Ireland
- Eurosceptic parties in Ireland
- Irish nationalist parties
- Political parties in the Republic of Ireland
- Right-wing parties in Europe