Mick Clifford: James Connolly would have a thing or two to say about the modern Irish left

More than a century after his death, James Connolly’s political legacy remains claimed by a left divided over ideology, strategy and power.

There are few figures from Irish history who have been appropriated so widely and erroneously as much as James Connolly has. Photo: Time Life Pictures/Mansell/Getty Images

Where is James Connolly when he’s needed? On Wednesday, RTÉ aired a documentary on the executed 1916 leader. Also on Wednesday, reports emerged of the latest split in one of the myriad groups claiming lineage to Connolly.

Apparently, a group of prominent members of the political party People Before Profit have resigned from the Socialist Workers Network (SWN), which is described as “the long-standing Trotskyist movement that has been the driving force behind the party”.