James Connolly
Edited by Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh
Dublin Trades Council
Dublin Trades Council
p.16831 July 1915
The fortnightly meeting of the Dublin Trades Council was held on Monday evening, Mr T. Farren, President, in the Chair. Also present: Messrs Edward Lyons, Brass Founders and Gasfitters; R. Carroll, TC, Brick and Stone Layers; John Lawler, Cab and Car Owners; J. Simmons, Carpenters (Amal); Matthew Callanan, Central Ironmoulders; M. Culliton, Carpenters (Gen Union); T. Murphy, Carpet Planners; Francis Farrell, Coachmakers; A. Kavanagh, P. Bowes, J. Bermingham, Corporation Labourers; C. Woodhead, Electricians; J. Bowman, Engineers; B. Drumm, Farriers; Joseph McGrath, Irish Clerks' Union; J. Metcalfe, W.P. Partridge, TC, T. Foran, PLG, James Connolly, Irish Transport Workers; James Courteney, Marble Polishers; J. Lennon, Mineral Water Operatives; J. Kelly, National Union Assurance Agents; Jos. Farrell, M. Smith, Painters (Amal); F. Davidson, Dyers and Cleaners; W. Shanks, Packing Case and Box Makers; Peter Macken, John Bermingham, Painters (Metropolitan); D. Holland, M.A. Brady, Printers (Typo); A. Doyle, Saddlers; G. Paisley, Sawyers; P.D. Bolger, Slaters; W.J. Murphy, Smiths (White); J. Flanagan, P. Carey, Stationary Engine Drivers; Thomas Farren, Stonecutters; John Farren, Sheet Metal Workers; John Duffy, Iron Dressers; J.F. O'Neill, Irish Grocers' and Purveyors' Assistants Union; Winston, National League Blind; Jeremiah Kennedy, Smiths (United).
Messrs Lawler and Farren (Representatives on the Asylum Board) reported that a resolution had been adopted by the Board forbidding the taking in of apprentices in any of the Board's workshops, as in their opinion such boys were not given full facilities to learn their trade, and rarely turned out good workmen. The Board had also agreed to give its labourers coal at cost price.
The President said the report proved the utility of having representatives on such public bodies.
Mr Partridge complained of the attempt by Mr Watson, of the Great Southern and Western Railway, to commandeer the machinery of the Bolton Street Technical School for the manufacture of war munitions, while Mr Watson's own machinery was lying idle all night, and not all of it was worked on munitions in the day time.
p.169Mr J. Murphy was astonished to hear of such an application, and thought the Education Committee were justified in refusing. In his opinion the boys in the school might be taught to do this work.
Mr Connolly said there was more in the matter than that suggested by the last speaker. The machines were originally acquired for educational purposes, and would be spoiled by the application to such work as it was now suggested to put them, and the citizens should not submit to it. He proposed a resolution protesting against the granting of such machinery for the munitions of war. They should be only employed in teaching the arts of Peace.
Mr Macken seconded the resolution, which he said would strengthen the Technical Education Committee in its refusal to grant the machines, and suggested that copies be sent to the Committee and the Department.
The resolution was passed unanimously.
Mr Macken referred to the forthcoming funeral procession of O'Donovan Rossa, which was now definitely known would leave the City Hall on Sunday next at two o'clock, and urged all working people to attend.
Mr Lawler asked that the trades should keep together, and suggested that they meet in Capel Street.
Mr Partridge expressed the hope that every Irish man in Dublin and its vicinity would attend, and advocated the closing of the public houses.
Messrs Holland and Simmons disagreed with the suggestion on the ground that it would cause great inconvenience to the travelling public.
Mr T. Murphy suggested Stephen's Green as the rallying point of the various Trades.
Mr Connolly supported the suggestion, which was adopted.
The Chairman urged all present to do their utmost in making the procession worthy of the man and creditable to the nation.
It was decided to send a subscription to the Committee having charge of affairs in connection with the procession.
Mr Connolly said that the result of the South Wales Miners' Strike was another signal proof of the strengths and invincibility of Labour when united. Here we had the greatest and strongest government that these countries had ever seen in modern times – a government vested with powers that a few years ago no one present would ever have dreamt p.170 would be vested in a modern British Government. We had a Coalition Cabinet of all the virtues; a military commander with almost unlimited power, and a civil population that had become hardened to the sight of the exercise of arbitrary authority by that power; we had an army and navy of unprecedented size and efficiency, and as against all that on the one side we had on the other a body of workers in control of nothing but their labour power. But when that body of workers declared that they would stop the process of production it was found that they were more powerful than all the mighty civil and military forces arrayed against them. What a lesson was this for Labour! It showed that Labour already possessed the power, all that it needed was the united will to exercise it. But we had been cursed with leaders without faith in their own class, without vision, without moral courage – leaders who were always preaching about our weakness instead of teaching us to rely upon our strength. Had we had the right kind of leaders this war would never have taken place. If the working class soldiers of Europe had but had the moral courage to say to the diplomats that they would not march against their brothers across the frontiers, but if they were going to fight they would rather fight against their enemies at home than against their brothers abroad, there would have been no war, and millions of homes that were now desolated would be happy (applause).
The Chairman said that it would be a pity to spoil such a magnificent speech by adding anything to it. He took that as the opinion of the Delegates.
The meeting then adjourned.
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Title (uniform): Dublin Trades Council
Author: James Connolly
Editor: Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh
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Electronic edition compiled by: Benjamin Hazard
proof corrections by: Aisling Byrne
Funded by: University College, Cork via The Writers of Ireland Project
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2. Second draft.
Extent: 2120 words
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Publisher: CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts: a project of University College Cork
Address: College Road, Cork, Ireland—http://www.ucc.ie/celt
Date: 2006
Date: 2010
Distributor: CELT online at University College, Cork, Ireland.
CELT document ID: E900002-049
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Edition
- Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh (ed.), James Connolly: The Lost Writings (London 1997).
Selected further reading
- James Connolly and William Walker, The Connolly-Walker controversy on socialist unity in Ireland (Dublin 1911, repr. Cork 1986).
- Robert Lynd, James Connolly: an appreciation, to James Connolly, Collected works (2 vols, October 1916, repr. Dublin 1987) i, pp. 495–507.
- Lambert McKenna, The social teachings of James Connolly (Dublin 1920).
- Desmond Ryan, James Connolly: his life, work and writings (Dublin 1924).
- G. Schüller, James Connolly and Irish freedom: a marxist analysis (Chicago 1926, repr. Cork 1974).
- Noelle Davis, Connolly of Ireland: patriot and socialist (Carnarvon 1946).
- Richard Michael Fox, James Connolly: the forerunner (Tralee 1946).
- Desmond Ryan, Socialism and nationalism: a selection from the writings of James Connolly (Dublin 1948).
- Desmond Ryan, 'James Connolly', in J. W. Boyle (ed.), Leaders and workers (Cork 1960, repr. 1978).
- C. Desmond Greaves, The life and times of James Connolly (London 1961, repr. Berlin 1976).
- François Bédarida, Le socialisme et la nation: James Connolly et l'Irlande (Paris 1965).
- Joseph Deasy, James Connolly: his life and teachings (Dublin 1966).
- James Connolly, Press poisoners in Ireland and other articles (Belfast 1968).
- James Connolly, Yellow unions in Ireland and other articles (Belfast 1968).
- Peter McKevitt, James Connolly (Dublin 1969).
- Owen Dudley Edwards, The mind of an activist: James Connolly (Dublin 1981).
- Derry Kelleher, Quotations from James Connolly: an anthology in three parts (2 vols Drogheda 1972).
- Peter Berresford Ellis (ed.), James Connolly: selected writings edited with an introduction by P. Berresford Ellis (Harmondsworth 1973).
- Samuel Levenson, James Connolly: a biography (London 1973).
- James Connolly, Ireland upon the dissecting table: James Connolly on Ulster and Partition (Cork 1975).
- Nora Connolly O'Brien, James Connolly: portrait of a rebel father (Dublin 1975).
- E. Strauss, Irish nationalism and British democracy (Westport CT 1975).
- Bernard Ransom, Connolly's Marxism (London 1980).
- Communist Party of Ireland, Breaking the chains: selected writings of James Connolly on women (Belfast 1981).
- Ruth Dudley Edwards, James Connolly (Dublin 1981).
- Brian Kelly, James Connolly and the fight for an Irish Workers' Republic (Cleveland, OH 1982).
- John F. Murphy, Implications of the Irish past: the socialist ideology of James Connolly from an historical perspective (unpubl. MA thesis, University of North Carolina at Charlotte 1983).
- Anthony Lake, James Connolly: the development of his political ideology (unpubl. MA thesis, NUI Cork 1984).
- Frederick Ryan, Socialism, democracy and the Church (Dublin 1984). With reviews of Connolly's 'Labour in Irish History' and Jaures' 'Studies in socialism'.
- Connolly: the Polish aspects: a review of James Connolly's political and spiritual affinity with Józef Pilsudski, leader of the Polish Socialist Party, organiser of the Polish legions and founder of the Polish state (Belfast 1985).
- X. T. Zagladina, James Connolly (Moscow 1985).
- James Connolly and Daniel De Leon, The Connolly-De Leon Controversy: On wages, marriage and the Church (London 1986).
- David Howell, A Lost Left: three studies in socialism and nationalism (Chicago 1986).
- Priscilla Metscher, Republicanism and socialism in Ireland: a study of the relationship of politics and ideology from the United Irishmen to James Connolly, Bremer Beiträge zur Literatur- und Ideologiegeschichte 2 (Frankfurt-am-Main 1986).
- Michael O'Riordan, General introduction, to James Connolly, Collected works (2 vols Dublin 1987) i, pp. ix–xvii.
- Cathal O'Shannon, Introduction, to James Connolly, Collected works (2 vols Dublin 1987) i, 11–16.
- Austen Morgan, James Connolly: a political biography (Manchester 1988).
- Helen Clark, Sing a rebel song: the story of James Connolly, born Edinburgh 1868, executed Dublin 1916 (Edinburgh 1989).
- Kieran Allen, The politics of James Connolly (London 1990).
- Andy Johnston, James Larraggy and Edward McWilliams, Connolly: a Marxist analysis (Dublin 1990).
- Lambert McKenna, The social teachings of James Connolly, by Lambert McKenna, ed. Thomas J. Morrissey (Dublin 1991).
- Donnacha Ní Gabhann, The reality of Connolly: 1868-1916 (Dublin 1993).
- William K. Anderson, James Connolly and the Irish left (Dublin 1994).
- Proinsias Mac Aonghusa, What Connolly said: James Connolly's writings (Dublin 1994).
- James L. Hyland, James Connolly: life and times (Dundalk 1997).
- William McMullen, With James Connolly in Belfast (Belfast 2001).
- Donal Nevin, James Connolly: a full life (Dublin 2005).
Connolly, James (1997). ‘Dublin Trades Council’. In: James Connolly: The Lost Writings. Ed. by Aindrias Ó Cathasaigh. London: Pluto, pp. 168–170.
You can add this reference to your bibliographic database by copying or downloading the following:
@incollection{E900002-049,
author = {James Connolly},
title = {Dublin Trades Council},
editor = {Aindrias Ó~Cathasaigh},
booktitle = {James Connolly: The Lost Writings},
publisher = {Pluto},
address = {London},
date = {1997},
pages = {168–170}
}
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Profile description
Creation: by James Connolly
Date: 1915
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Keywords: political; essay; prose; 20c
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