A labour history of Ireland 1824–2000 Emmet O’Connor (UCD Press, €34.50) ISBN 9781906359560 When I saw that UCD Press had brought out a refreshed and updated version of this book—so long out of print—I must admit that I felt something akin to relief. With the study of working-class history in Ireland enjoying a significant resurgence … Read more
The Tenement Experience 14 Henrietta Street, Dublin 1 www.1913committee.ie by Tony Canavan Henrietta Street, off Bolton Street, is one of the oldest surviving streets in Dublin. Most of the houses were built in the 1740s; its proximity to the King’s Inn meant that it was a prestigious address and attracted many from the legal profession … Read more
Strumpet City RTÉ DVD90, E14.99 by John Gibney Dublin City Council’s ‘One City, One Book’ initiative sees a work of literature connected with the city being officially promoted every April. Dubliners and Gulliver’s travels are amongst those chosen in previous years, and in the centenary year of the 1913 Lockout James Plunkett’s Strumpet city (originally … Read more
Born in 1883, the daughter of a Dublin grocer, Helena Molony experienced an unhappy, if comfortable, childhood; orphaned in early life, she did not get on with her stepmother. As in many republican autobiographical narratives, she could identify a moment of political awakening: ‘I was a young girl dreaming about Ireland when I saw and … Read more
ITGWU founded The ITGWU marked the birth of the modern Irish labour movement. Less than 10% of Irish workers were unionised at this time, and most of these were in British-based unions. In Dublin especially, many activists felt neglected by British labour and argued for an Irish-based movement. As an NUDL official, Jim had said … Read more