Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)

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CPI(ML) originated from the "Internationalists in Ireland", a group started on December 9 1965 by Hardial Bains, while he was working as a microbiologist at Trinity College, Dublin. His efforts culminated in the "Necessity for Change" conference, at which delegates from Canada, India, Ireland and Britain pledged to build Marxist-Leninist parties in their countries. They rejected Nikita Khrushchev's policies, which they regarded as revisionist, and followed a Marxist-Leninist course. In 1969, they renamed themselves the Irish Communist Movement (Marxist-Leninist), and in 1972 as the CPI(ML).

CPI(ML) participated in the 1974 UK parliamentary election. It had candidates in three constituencies in Northern Ireland. In total they got 540 votes, between 0.2%-0.5% in each constituency. CPI(ML) member David Vipond stood in the 1973 Monaghan by-election, receiving 157 first preference votes. Vipond later stood for election in Dublin along with other CPI(ML) members.

The party supported the 1974 Ulster Workers' Council Strike claiming that it showed how the Irish masses could have an impact. This caused some criticism towards CPI(ML) in Republican circles. CPI(ML) claimed also the working class were the real winners at the conclusion of the Sunningdale Agreement. CPI(ML) ran a bookstore in Dublin called "Progressive Books and Periodicals" at 25 Essex St, Dublin 8. At various times CPI(ML) had bookshops in Limerick and Cork both of which were attacked on numerous occasions.

CPI(ML) originally upheld Mao Zedong thought - particularly in the 1970-71 period during which entire issues of Red Patriot were dedicated to Mao but they flatly rejected Mao Zedong after the Sino-Albanian split of 1978, after which they upheld the writings of Albanian leader Enver Hoxha. The CPI(ML) organised delegations to Albania at various times during the 80s.

The CPI(ML) supported armed struggle for the reunification of Ireland and created a front group called the Spirit of Freedom Committee to work with Irish republicans. Other groups created by the party were the Workers and Unemployed Movement and the Communist Youth Union of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist). With the collapse of socialism in Albania, the CPI(ML) opened up relations with the Workers Party of Korea and signed the 1992 Pyongyang Declaration. General Secretary Rod Eley visited North Korea in 1999. Upon his return to Ireland he was present as a guest on an RTÉ television programme were he discussed his visit.

In the early 1980s, the CPI(ML) was a major force in the students' union movement, with member Brendan Doris becoming president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), while members Tommy Graham and Brian Stone being presidents of the College of Technology (Bolton Street) Students' Union in successive years. Graham today is editor of CPI(ML) inspired publication "History Ireland", which in the 1990s shared a POBox with "Progressive Books and Periodicals".

In 2003 CPI(ML) was disbanded, following a long period of passivity. Upon dissolution, the general secretary of CPI(ML) was Rod Eley. Eley had previously served a month in Mountjoy after being arrested for selling Red Patriot outside the GPO in Belfast. Shortly afterwards in 1973 he successfully defended himself in a court case in Belfast accused of assaulting a member of the security forces. This arose out a situation that developed when Eley and another CPI(ML) member were approached and harassed whilst handing out leaflets calling for an electoral boycott. To celebrate Eley's victory, CPI(ML) painted a slogan in the front window of their premises in Dublin, which interestingly resulted in the window being smashed.