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{{Irish republicanism|Active Organisations}}
The '''Connolly Association''' is an organisation based among Irish emigrants in Britain which supports the aims of [[Irish republicanism]]. It takes its name from [[James Connolly]], a [[socialist]] [[Irish republicanism|republican]], born in [[Edinburgh]], [[Scotland]] and executed by the [[British Army]] for his part in the 1916 [[Easter Rising]].

==History==
It was formed in London in 1938 as the Connolly Club by members of the London branch of the [[Republican Congress]], the Irish branch of the [[League Against Imperialism]] (a front for the [[Communist International]]) and the British-based [[Irish Self-Determination League]]. They claimed as a goal to be working for a united and independent Ireland and to provide a social and cultural centre for those promoting the teachings of James Connolly.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the Connolly Association influenced trade unionists in [[Belfast]] who went on to establish the [[Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association]] in [[Northern Ireland]]. The Association continued to organise meetings throughout Britain and a number of new branches were established.<ref>See ''The Left In Britain, 1956-1968'' by [[David Widgery]], Penguin, 1976.</ref>

The Connolly Association has produced a newspaper since 1939, known first as ''Irish Freedom'' and then from 1945 as the ''Irish Democrat''. It supports the [[Belfast Agreement|Good Friday Agreement]] but continues to press for an end to the partition of Ireland and the [[United Ireland|unification]] of Northern Ireland with the [[Republic of Ireland]].

==Members==
Notable members of the Connolly Association included  [[C. Desmond Greaves]],<ref>See the Introduction to ''The Politics of James Connolly'' by Kieran Allen (1990)</ref> [[Anthony Coughlan]]<ref>''Northern Ireland's '68: Civil Rights, Global Revolt and the origins of the ''Troubles'' by Simon Prince (2007)</ref> [[Roy Johnston]],<ref name="list">''Century of Endeavour'' by Roy H. W. Johnston (2003) (pp. 5, 214).</ref> [[Luke Kelly]], [[Eddie Dempsey (trade unionist)|Eddie Dempsey]], [[Paddy Roe McLaughlin]], and Derry Kelleher.<ref name="list" />

==Notes==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://www.irishdemocrat.co.uk/ ''Irish Democrat'']
* [http://www.connollyassociation.org.uk/ ''Connolly Association'']

{{ATIRA}}
{{OIRA/WP}}
{{Communist Party of Great Britain}}
[[Category:Political organisations based in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Irish republican organisations]]
[[Category:1938 establishments in the United Kingdom]]