Solidarity and Pressure: The Story of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement

Solidarity and Pressure is the first full-length study of the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement (IAAM). Founded in April 1964, the IAAM spearheaded fundraising efforts, organized events, lobbied Irish politicians, and actively promoted the struggle against Apartheid South Africa across local, international, political, and cultural spheres. Despite its modest size, Ireland’s movement was ranked by the African National Congress as one of the strongest in terms of solidarity, alongside the Dutch and Scandinavian movements.

Drawing on seventy interviews, the IAAM’s own records, and private papers from Anti-Apartheid activists, Solidarity and Pressure captures the exhilarating story of the IAAM across three decades: how it thrived in Ireland due to the historical context of national liberation, along with the opposition it faced in the Cold War era. It charts the birth of the movement, its engagement with southern Africa, overlaps with the conflict in Northern Ireland, the opposition it faced from authorities in Ireland and South Africa, the Dunnes Stores strike (1984-87), its relationship with Irish political parties and governments, and its advocacy for sporting and cultural boycotts. The book assesses the contribution of the IAAM’s enigmatic founder Kader Asmal (1934-2011), and his co-founder and wife, Louise Asmal, who championed the ANC’s strategy of forging broad political coalitions, successfully drawing in members from all Irish political parties to advance the Anti-Apartheid struggle.

Connal Parr, Assistant Professor in History, Northumbria University

Dr Connal Parr studied Modern History at the University of Oxford, prior to completing an MA and PhD at Queen’s University. In 2018 he was appointed Lecturer at Northumbria and is presently an Assistant Professor in History. His first book Inventing the Myth: Political Passions and the Ulster Protestant Imagination (2017) was nominated for the Ewart-Biggs Literary Prize and the Royal Historical Society’s Whitfield Prize.