Then and Now

Romanticised images of the past betrays Larkin’s legacy

Speech by Jack O’Conor, General President of SIPTU, at 66th anniversary of the death of Jim Larkin, Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, January 30th, 2013   Comrades and Friends We are here today to commemorate the life of Jim Larkin, the founder of our union and of the modern Irish labour movement.  He virtually transformed the traditional, […]

1913 Lockout was far more than just a curtain-raiser

It exposed contradictions that had to be worked through in independence, says Carol Hunt in today’s (January 27th, 2013) Sunday Independent ‘DORA Montefiore — she was young, she was opinionated, she was English and Jewish, she was a socialist; you couldn’t concoct a better hate figure for the Catholics [in Ireland]. And she was coming […]

Progressive Film Club launches 1913-2013 season with Vita Cortex occupation film

To mark the centenary of the 1913 Lockout, the Progressive Film Club plan is running a series of films on the themes of labour struggles and workers’ rights throughout the coming year. It kicks-off on Saturday, January 26th with two films about factory occupations – one in Argentina and the other in Cork. 2.30pm: The […]

Why organised labour is at a strategic crossroads

For Irish trade unionism, 2013 is a landmark year. The centenary of the 1913 lockout , which was perhaps the most important event in the movement’s history, will be celebrated in August writes Dan O’Brien, Economics Editor in today’s Irish Times (January 18th, 2013). Activists to this day look back on the summer of that […]