Labour had a chequered history in the West Belfast constituency over this period. Harry Midgley came very close to winning the West Belfast Westminster seat in 1923 and 1924. Jack Beattie was elected Westminster MP (1943-50; 1951-55), as was Gerry Fitt (1966-83), both winning their seats from a Unionist. Harry Diamond, Billy Boyd and Paddy Devlin were elected Stormont MPs for the area at different times. While these individuals were elected under different Labour banners from the Northern Ireland Labour Party to the Republican Labour Party, from the Socialist Republican Party to the Irish Labour Party and to Independent Labour – all were in the mainstream Labour tradition. The conference traces the resilience of this tradition in the constituency.

Speakers at the conference will include Connal Parr, Anne Devlin, Graham Walker, Boyd Black, Henry Patterson. A full programme will follow.

Tea and coffee will be provided on the day

Free hybrid event (in-person and online)

PROGRAMME:

10am Welcome

10.15 Graham Walker, ‘The West Belfast Election Contests 1923 and 1924’

11.15 Tea and Coffee

11.30 Boyd Black, ‘Electoral Pacts and the Demise of Labour’

12.30 Lunch Break

1.15 Connal Parr, ‘Sailing Under a Variety of Flags: Labour from Woodvale to the Falls’; Anne Devlin, ‘Further Reflections on Paddy Devlin and West Belfast’

2.30 Aaron Edwards, ‘The NILP and Talks with Loyalists in West Belfast in the 1970s’

3.30 Henry Patterson, ‘Concluding Thoughts’

4.00 Close