Fianna Fáil and the professionalisation of political communication in Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID6074731
AuthorsKevin Rafter (0000-0001-9914-5223, Dublin City University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume32
Issue1
Pages141-163
Publication date2017-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueIrish Political Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0790-7184 • E-ISSN: 1743-9078
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/07907184.2016.1269756
OpenAlexW2562431933
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited19

The Fianna Fáil general election campaign in 1977 is widely seen as a breakthrough in political communication and election campaigning in Ireland. This ‘modern’ and ‘professional’ campaign is considered a key contest between previous campaigns and those that followed. This article, however, challenges the view that the 1977 campaign marked a key moment in terms of campaign professionalisation. Rather the argument is that the seminal moment only occurs two decades later, in 1997, with the first general election campaign of Bertie Ahern’s tenure as Fianna Fáil leader. In order to assess these two campaigns, the evolution in political communication and election campaign techniques in Ireland is examined through the prism of what are labelled ‘Four Ages’ based on election dates: 1922–1965; 1969–1992; 1997–2011; and an emerging digital era post-2016

Media studies · Political communication · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Public Administration · Social Media and Politics

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