JAMES CONNELLY
(5th June 1868 - 12th May 1916)

James Connolly was born at 107 Cowgate, Edinburgh, the son of Irish Catholic Immigrants. His upbringing was one of extreme poverty, and he was working to support his family from the age of eleven. At fourteen he joined the British Army, serving in Ireland for seven years. When he returned to Edinburgh in 1890 he became actively involved in socialist politics, and proved a voracious scholar of politics, history, sociology and economics.

He moved to Dublin in 1896, founding the Irish Socialist Republic Party and voiced his opposition to Home Rule in Northern Ireland through the associated newspaper The Worker’s Republic. He conducted a series of lecture tours in the United States and Scotland, finally moving his family to America to live. It was here that he founded the Irish Socialist Federation which published The Harp newspaper. He was the organiser for the Industrial Workers of the World from 1908 when he expanded support for socialist groups primarily on the east coast with its large American-Irish population.

In 1910 Connolly returned to Dublin where he was appointed the Belfast organiser for the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. He formed the Irish Citizens Army during the Great Lock-Out of 1913, which was intended to defend striking workers against the violent factions of groups like The Employers Federation.

It was at this time that James Connolly revived a newspaper called The Worker’s Republic, a significant step towards an anti-establishment movement. During the War, John Redmond, leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, supported the suspension of the 1912 Home Rule Bill which caused the loss of 11000 Irish Volunteers in opposition to this delay.

In February 1915 The Worker’s Union was banned by the Irish Government while James Connolly was appointed acting General Secretary of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. He had by this point become actively militant, parading units of the Irish Citizens Army in Dublin. This demonstrative tactic was strongly opposed by ex members of the Irish Volunteers who had gone on to form the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). They were in the process of planning a rebellion against the state, and felt he was bringing unwanted attention to their cause.

The IRB decided to bring Connolly onboard to counter this and he was soon made aware of their intentions for an uprising on Easter day, 1916. He was appointed Commander of the Republican Forces in Dublin and when the rebellion started on April 24th, he was one of seven signatories to the proclamation The other six signatories were Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, Thomas MacDonagh, Joseph Mary Plunkett, Eamonn Ceannt and Sean Mac Diarmada. During the fighting, Connolly was posted at the rebels’ headquarters, which was the General Post Office. He was badly wounded and soon arrested when the rebels were quickly forced to surrender.

He was court-martialled in a military hospital in Dublin and charged with treason. On May 12th, 1916, Connolly was shot by firing squad at Kilmainham Jail along with the other six signatories and another nine men involved in the uprising.

Although the Irish people had been politically indifferent to the rebel cause, before the uprising, widespread anger at the circumstances of his death helped create new support for a Republican government and Home Rule devoid of British interference.