page_title: Labour Party (Ireland)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Labour Party (Ireland) / History
caption_attribution_description: Labour Party (Ireland) HQ
context_page_description: The Labour Party is a social democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. Founded on 28 May 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Larkin, James Connolly, and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trades Union Congress, it describes itself as a "democratic socialist party" in its constitution. Labour continues to be the political arm of the Irish trade union and labour movement and seeks to represent workers' interests in the Dáil and on a local level.
  Unlike the other main Irish political parties, Labour did not arise as a faction of the original Sinn Féin party. The party has served as a partner in coalition governments on seven occasions since its formation: six times in coalition either with Fine Gael alone or with Fine Gael and other smaller parties, and once with Fianna Fáil. This gives Labour a cumulative total of nineteen years served as part of a government, the second-longest total of any party in the Republic of Ireland after Fianna Fáil. The current party leader is Alan Kelly. It is currently the joint-fifth-largest party in Dáil Éireann, with six seats. It is the joint-third-largest party in Seanad Éireann, with 5 seats.
caption: 17 Ely Place, Dublin, head office of the Labour Party until 2015.
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