In the public eye: Helena Sheehan
Socialist History: Issue 67, by Dianne Kirby
“The cover of part two of Helena Sheehan’s autobiography, Until We Fall: Long Distance Life on the Left, is inspired by Geliy Korzhev’s iconic painting ‘Picking Up the Banner’. It is an apt image for a remarkable and courageous woman who remained resolutely on the Left despite the many defeats inflicted on the cause to which she devoted her life. Hers is an epic story. This second part of her autobiography – the first covered her journey from anti-communist Catholicism to empathy with communist causes and activism in Cold War America – interweaves personal history with social and political upheavals. It begins in the late 1980s when hopes were high owing to glasnost’ and perestroika. The story then proceeds through the bitter disappointments of the subsequent brutal counterrevolutions, before proceeding to address ensuing world-shaking, transformative events right up to the present day. Perestroika, in-tended as the renaissance of socialism, initiated a dizzying series of events that culminated in its demise. Sheehan became a front-row witness to the retreat of socialism on all fronts. She succinctly captures, and provides compelling insights into, the multi-faceted transformations that turned the world upside down. She writes with verve, passion, and humour, making impressively detailed recollections a riveting read….Well-known and respected in left-wing circles, Sheehan’s scholar-activism and international standing facilitated access to key players in the socialist arena, as evidenced by her inimitable insights into the era’s tumultuous history as it unfolded around her. The narrative reverberates with astute observations about the impact of triumphalist capitalism. Revelling in ‘victory’ and consumed by hubris, the United States moved swiftly and recklessly to consolidate western hegemony. Sheehan poignantly captures the psychological havoc wreaked on the Left by the unanticipated ‘defeat’. She revealingly reflects on the myriad responses of her comrades as the system crumbled around them, first in Eastern Europe and then the USSR… “
The Critical Theory Workshop
In Paris in July 2025, Gabriel Rockhill interviewed Helena Sheehan, author of Until We Fall, Navigating the Zeitgeist, and The Syriza Wave, about why she wrote autobiographies, how she saw the relationship between her intellectual work and political activism and why she sees contemporary intellectual life as shaped by a crisis in meaning, a crisis of world view, a crisis of civilization.
Red Flag Festival
Very soon after the loss of her life-partner, Sheehan showed her commitment as always, opening the 2024 Red Flag Festival with vibrant spirit, emotional verve and seasoned Marxist reasoning. For some needed inspiration, you can watch this giant of the Irish left sum up the spirit of the moment in the below short clip:
