History of Ógra Fianna Fáil

It was visionary, idealistic and committed young people who founded Fianna Fáil, under the leadership of Eamon de Valera in 1926. What followed was a momentous national movement encompassing the ideals of a united Ireland, social and economic advancement and equal opportunities.

At various pivotal stages in Fianna Fáil’s history, younger generations came to the fore to lead the Party. As the decades progressed, Fianna Fáil, while dominated by the great political figures from the State`s foundations, was driven by visionary input from all sections of society, both young and old.

An outstanding example of how Fianna Fáil was well-served by young, fresh ideas was during Donogh O`Malley`s tenure as Minister for Education with the introduction of free post-primary education.

It was during the period of 1974 / 75 that a specific youth section of Fianna Fáil was established to cater for the needs of young people in the Party. It is highly significant that many of the leading personalities in Ógra Fianna Fáil from the election landslide of 1977 were products of the O`Malley revolution in education.

Fianna Fáil was the first political party in Ireland that recognised the need to establish a youth section,. This subsequently proved to be an important medium for the recruitment of more young people into the Party.

The first National Youth Conference was held in the Burlington Hotel in January 1975, and had four delegates from each Dáil constituency. By the second National Youth Conference, a national youth scheme had been formulated, establishing youth committees in each Dáil constituency. The annual youth conference was the cornerstone around which all youth activity within the Party revolved.

The 1977 General Election had a very visible and high profile youth campaign with a special advertising programme geared to winning the young vote. The election results brought in a range of new young talented members to the Fianna Fáil ranks in Dáil Eireann, among them the future Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, Bertie Ahern TD, who served as Chairman of Ógra Fianna Fáil from 1980 to 1983.

During the 1980s, Ógra became an essential component in all Party structures. It gained the right to vote in all candidate selection conventions. It developed an active policy formulation role, a role that became increasingly recognised by Party spokespersons, policymakers and Government ministers.

The 1990s saw many new innovations as Ógra continued to expand. A new National Youth Scheme was adopted in 1998, further modernising Ógra. Ógra also developed its own website, providing information on all activities and an online membership facility. An Ógra newsletter was also published.

The 2000s saw Ógra continue to innovate, as it sought to increase the profile and role of young people in politics. As the medium of online communications began to grew, Ógra utilised new technologies to communicate with its members.

An Organisation-wide review conduced in 2006 found that there is wide support in Fianna Fáil for the establishment of an activist base in Northern Ireland. This review overwhelmingly established that Fianna Fáil should not seek to be solely a nationalist party or a party of disaffected SDLP or Sinn Féin voters. It should attract from a broad spectrum, including a broad geographical spectrum. 2008 saw Ógra Fianna Fáil officially begin to recruit members in Northern Ireland, in Queens University, Belfast and in the University Of Ulster.

It was decided at the 2009 Ard Fheis to establish a Fianna Fáil Forum in each county in Northern Ireland in order to facilitate Party Members in the North who wish to meet and engage in with Fianna Fáil public Representatives and membership.

Three County Forums have been established to date in Down, Armagh and Fermanagh. The Antrim Forum will be established this autumn and the Forums in Derry and Tyrone will also be organised in the coming months. These forums have been charged with the task of growing out membership base and organising Fianna Fáil events within their respective counties.

The new decade will present many more challenges for Ógra, but that is what Ógra is all about: meeting challenges. The vibrancy and enthusiasm of youth is a unique thing that should be cherished and used to its full potential.

Ógra has certainly served Fianna Fáil well in its short history and judging by its growing strength, will continue to play a defining role in the future of Ireland’s largest political party.