Anthony Coughlan
Encyclopedia
Anthony Coughlan is a left-wing academic, retired Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Social Policy at Trinity College (Dublin) and Secretary of the The National Platform for EU Research and Information Centre.
He has contributed to various debates in the media such as on RTÉ Questions and Answers, both in his capacity as a lecturer and as a spokesperson for lobby groups such as the National Platform
. He has been described as a eurosceptic
in his and he opposed EU enlargement and EU treaties such as the Single European Act
, Maastricht Treaty
, Amsterdam Treaty
, Nice Treaty, Nice Treaty re-run and the Lisbon Treaty.
Recently he has been making contributions to the post Lisbon Treaty debate and made submissions to the Oireachtas committee on Europe on behalf of the National Platform.
He was born in Cork
became politicised while studying English, history and economics at University College Cork in the fifties, setting up a branch of the Labour Party in the college. He moved to London where he studied for a postgraduate degree in Social Policy at the University of London
. In London he joined the Connolly Association
, and would have befriended the republican socialist C. Desmond Greaves
.
He returned to Ireland and took up a job lecturing in Trinity College 1961. He became involved in the Wolfe Tone Society
when it was set up in 1964 becoming acting as its secretary as well Dublin Housing Action Committees, both of which were heavily populated by members of the Republican Movement
most of which evolved into Sinn Fein the Workers Party. The Wolfe Tone Society(WTS) campaigned for civil rights in Northern Ireland and supported the NICRA. Contributed articles to the United Irishman
and Tuairsc the paper of the Wolfe Tone Society.
He left the Republican Movement in 1970, he was joint secretary with Raymond Crotty
of the Common Market Defence Campaign, he participated in the Common Market Study Group and campaigned against Ireland joining the Common Market
and has campaigned against greater European integration policies through various organisations since such as The Irish Sovereignty Movement
and National Platform
.
Coughlan married Muriel Sadlier in 1983.
He has contributed to various debates in the media such as on RTÉ Questions and Answers, both in his capacity as a lecturer and as a spokesperson for lobby groups such as the National Platform
National Platform
The National Platform for EU Research and Information Centre shortened to National Platform is an Irish Eurosceptic lobby group which campaigns against greater European Union integration, and against a Federal superstate...
. He has been described as a eurosceptic
EuroSceptic
EuroSceptic is the second album of British singer Jack Lucien. It was released in October 2009.Due to being an album influenced by Europop, it features songs with parts in different languages...
in his and he opposed EU enlargement and EU treaties such as the Single European Act
Single European Act
The Single European Act was the first major revision of the 1957 Treaty of Rome. The Act set the European Community an objective of establishing a Single Market by 31 December 1992, and codified European Political Cooperation, the forerunner of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy...
, Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty
The Maastricht Treaty was signed on 7 February 1992 by the members of the European Community in Maastricht, Netherlands. On 9–10 December 1991, the same city hosted the European Council which drafted the treaty...
, Amsterdam Treaty
Amsterdam Treaty
The Amsterdam Treaty, officially the Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union, the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, was signed on 2 October 1997, and entered into force on 1 May 1999; it made substantial changes to the Maastricht Treaty,...
, Nice Treaty, Nice Treaty re-run and the Lisbon Treaty.
Recently he has been making contributions to the post Lisbon Treaty debate and made submissions to the Oireachtas committee on Europe on behalf of the National Platform.
He was born in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
became politicised while studying English, history and economics at University College Cork in the fifties, setting up a branch of the Labour Party in the college. He moved to London where he studied for a postgraduate degree in Social Policy at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. In London he joined the Connolly Association
Connolly Association
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, an socialist republican, born in Edinburgh, Scotland and executed by the British Army in 1916 for his part in the Easter Rising...
, and would have befriended the republican socialist C. Desmond Greaves
C. Desmond Greaves
Charles Desmond Greaves was an Irish activist and historian. He wrote a number of books on Irish history as a Marxist historian....
.
He returned to Ireland and took up a job lecturing in Trinity College 1961. He became involved in the Wolfe Tone Society
Wolfe Tone Society
Wolfe Tone Society is an Irish Republican support organization based in London, England.Named after the founder of Irish Republicanism, Theobald Wolfe Tone, the organisation was formed in 1984 from the various smaller Irish republican groups working in London.The WTS have annual events in the form...
when it was set up in 1964 becoming acting as its secretary as well Dublin Housing Action Committees, both of which were heavily populated by members of the Republican Movement
Republican Movement
Republican Movement may refer to:* Australian Republican Movement* Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand* British republican movement* Citizens for a Canadian Republic* Republican Movement * Republican Movement...
most of which evolved into Sinn Fein the Workers Party. The Wolfe Tone Society(WTS) campaigned for civil rights in Northern Ireland and supported the NICRA. Contributed articles to the United Irishman
United Irishman
The United Irishman title has been a very popular newspaper title in Ireland and a number of newspapers have been published under the title.*...
and Tuairsc the paper of the Wolfe Tone Society.
He left the Republican Movement in 1970, he was joint secretary with Raymond Crotty
Raymond Crotty
Raymond Crotty was an Irish economist and campaigner against Irish membership of the European Union. In 1987 he mounted a successful legal challenge in the Irish Supreme Court against the government's attempt to ratify the Single European Act without reference to the people in a referendum.-Life...
of the Common Market Defence Campaign, he participated in the Common Market Study Group and campaigned against Ireland joining the Common Market
and has campaigned against greater European integration policies through various organisations since such as The Irish Sovereignty Movement
The Irish Sovereignty Movement
The Irish Sovereignty Movement was a political lobby group in the 1970s and 1980s fronted by Anthony Coughlan who was its chairman. It held meetings and produced publications campaigning on various political issues mainly to do with Irish Independence and its relationship with the Common Market,...
and National Platform
National Platform
The National Platform for EU Research and Information Centre shortened to National Platform is an Irish Eurosceptic lobby group which campaigns against greater European Union integration, and against a Federal superstate...
.
Coughlan married Muriel Sadlier in 1983.
Submissions and articles
- Turning us into real EU citizens by Anthony Coughlan, Munster Express, Friday, June 13, 2008
- An EU Watershed Decision by Anthony Coughlan, Peoples Movement website
- Nation, State Sovereignty and the European Union by Anthony Coughlan, Studies An Irish Quarterly Review Issue 369, vol.93, Spring 2004
- Constitution of the Dublin Wolfe Tone Society - Roy Johnston / Anthony Coughlan.
- Archive of Publications by Anthony Coughlan, Open Library
- The Case Against the Common Market, a pamphlet by Anthony Coughlan and Roy JohnstonRoy JohnstonRoy Johnston is an Irish physicist. He was a Marxist who as a member of the IRA in the 1960s argued for a National Liberation Strategy to unite the Catholic and Protestant working classes...
(1967)