The Starry Plough (Irish: An Camchéachta) is the official newspaper of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, first published in 1975 following the party’s founding by Seamus Costello. The paper took its name from the iconic banner associated with James Connolly and the Irish Citizen Army, reflecting the IRSP’s fusion of republican and socialist politics.
The Starry Plough served as the primary political voice of the IRSP through some of the most turbulent years in the party’s history, covering the movement’s activities, political positions, and analysis of the conflict in the North. Publication was intermittent at times due to the considerable internal and external pressures faced by the organisation, including the assassination of Costello in 1977.
The Irish Republican Digital Archive holds almost 100 issues of the Starry Plough, beginning with the first issue in 1975 and continuing into the 2000s. This represents the most comprehensive publicly accessible digital collections of the publication and is among the most visited sections of the archive.
1975
1976
 The Starry Plough (January 1976) (3) |  The Starry Plough (February 1976) (3) |  The Starry Plough (March 1976) (3) |
 May |  June |  The Starry Plough (September 1976) |
 December |
1977
 January (2) |  The Starry Plough (May 1977) |  The Starry Plough (September 1977) |
 The Starry Plough (October 1977) (2) |  Seamus Costello (1) |  The Starry Plough (December 1977) |
1978
 January (2) |  February (2) |  March |
 August (2) |  The Starry Plough (November 1978) |  The Starry Plough (July 1978) |
1979
1980
 February (2) |  March (6) |  July 1980 |
 The Starry Plough (September 1980) (2) |  November (2) |  1980 Hunger Strike Special (2) |
 The Starry Plough (December 1980) |  The Starry Plough (April 1980) |
1981
1982
1983
 The Starry Plough (August 1983) (2) |  The Starry Plough (September 1983) (2) |  The Starry Plough (October 1983) (2) |
 The Starry Plough (Nov/Dec 1983) (2) |
1984
1985
1987
1988
1989
1990
1999
2001
2002
 Feb/March 2002 |  April/May 2002 |  June/July 2002 |
 The Starry Plough (Oct/Nov 2002) (2) |  The Starry Plough (August/September 2002) (3) |  The Starry Plough (Dec 2002/Jan 2003) (2) |
2003
2004
2005
2006-2011
(1) Donated by Colm Mistéil
(2) Donated by @irish_republican_archive
(3) Donated by Jason McLean
© Irish Republican Digital Archive. Historical documents are presented for educational and research purposes only. We do not endorse or promote any views expressed in the material. Some content may be politically or historically sensitive. [Read full disclaimer]
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