Identity Ireland

Identity Ireland states that it favours Irish sovereignty and a return to the Irish pound.[11] The party supports a controlled border policy in order to curtail the immigration that, it says, is putting strain on the Irish welfare system.[12] It also supports more careful vetting of incoming asylum seekers.[12] It supports the Irish branch of Pegida, and has joined the Fortress Europe coalition.[13] It advocates the introduction of a two strike law for serious offences, as well as the re-introduction of penal labour.[14] It supports keeping Ireland's neutrality.[15] It is in favour of Brexit.[16]

Before founding Identity Ireland, Peter O'Loughlin unsuccessfully contested the 2014 European Parliament election for the South constituency, with 1.0% of the first preference votes.[17] He also unsuccessfully contested the 2015 Carlow-Kilkenny by-election, receiving 1.4% (930) of the first preference votes.[18][19][20][21]

O'Loughlin also ran in the 2016 Irish general election in the Cork North-Central constituency as an independent, where he came last with only 0.36% (183) of first preference votes.[22][23][24] O'Loughlin later contested the 2019 European Parliament election in Ireland,[25] receiving 0.5% (3,682) of first preference votes in the Ireland South constituency.[26]

Another party member, Ted Neville, was unsuccessful as an independent candidate in four previous elections in the Cork South-Central constituency.[27] He has appeared on television to discuss immigration, both as a member of Identity Ireland and as a member of the Immigration Control Platform group.[28][29]

As of 14 May 2018, Identity Ireland was recorded in the Oireachtas Register of Political Parties,[30][31] though as an organisation that had "not yet responded to commission's enquiries" by the Standards in Public Office Commission.[32]

In November 2017, the Standards in Public Office Commission stated that no statements of accounts had been received from Identity Ireland, in breach of the Electoral Act.[33]

Identity Ireland has been accused of being racist. Some of its press conferences and meetings, and its launch, have been disrupted by protesters.[34][35]

However, the party claims that after its launch, membership went up by 25%, and that before the launch it had 115 members.[11] Party leader Peter O'Loughlin was invited to speak at the first Pegida rally of 2016 in Dresden, Germany.[36] In January 2016, the party was criticized for suggesting a local Muslim community leader be thrown into the Irish Sea. A spokesperson for Identity Ireland subsequently stated that it did not intend to advocate violence, and that the phrase "f@ck him into the Irish sea" was intended as a euphemism.[37]

• Pegida Ireland
• National Party (Ireland)
• Immigration Control Platform

• Official website