The Central Societies Committee has admitted that the controversial political party Éirígí has attempted to gain recognition in the College as a society, but has failed following a meeting of the CSC executive.
Speaking on their application, Chairperson of the CSC Robert Kearns, has said, “we received an application from Éirigí in time for discussion at Wednesday’s meeting of our executive. The executive chose to reject this application as we felt that it did not meet our two main criteria for recognition. These criteria are that the new society would not duplicate the work of any other society and that it would seem to be likely to make a long-term contribution to college life.”
The party had been on campus during Freshers’ Week collecting signatures and student numbers from students, in what is being seen as the beginning of their attempt to join the College as a society. According to Kearns, in accordance with CSC rules, prospective societies must present the CSC with the “constitution for the society and a petition of 100 students’ signatures with their student numbers”.
According to their website, Éirigí are an “Irish, Socialist Republican, political party committed to ending the British occupation of the six counties and the establishment of a thirty-two county Democratic Socialist Republic.”
Formed in 2006, the group held its first Árd Fheis in May 2007, where its members voted to become a political party. It has led various campaigns since its foundation, including the 2006 “Reclaim the Republic” campaign. To mark the 90th Anniversary of the 1916, the party distributed over 45,000 copies of the Irish Proclamation of Independence to homes across Dublin. The party has said that the aim of this campaign was to force people to ask themselves whether the Ireland of today is the Ireland envisoned by the revolutionary leaders. The party has also been involved in the “Shell to Sea” protest.
According to Brian Leeson, Chairman of Éirígí, the group has a “proven track record of political campaigning, combined with an unambiguous socialist republican platform” which has “enabled Éirigí to attract large numbers of existing left-wing republicans.”
Éirigí failed to comment on the application when questioned.
