Today in Labor History December 28, 1918: Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, became the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons. She was an Irish revolutionary, suffragist and socialist, who fought in the Easter Rising in 1916, when Irish republicans attempted to end British rule and establish an Irish Republic. Originally, they had sentenced her to death for her role in the Rising. However, they commuted her sentence to life imprisonment because she was a woman. During the Rising, she designed the Citizen Army uniform, composed its anthem, and fought in St Stephen's Green, where she shot a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #constancemarkievicz #ireland #independence #easterrising #prison #Revolution #feminism #socialism

If you enjoy strong history stories, this review of a key 1916 book is worth your time.
#BookLovers #NonFictionReads #EasterRising
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/easter-rising-book-review/

“The Foggy Dew” by Canon Charles O’Neill, 1919, Dublin & Ireland (Performed by The Young Dubliners)

Context: The Foggy Dew is an Irish rebel song written around 1919 by Canon Charles O’Neill of County Antrim, using an older traditional melody. It was composed in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising and reflects growing nationalist opposition to Irish participation in World War I under British command. The song contrasts dying for the British Empire abroad with dying for Irish independence at home, capturing a major shift in Irish public sentiment during the revolutionary period.

Irish barricaded inside the General Post Office in Dublin during the Easter Rising in 1916

Context: Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, began quietly in Dublin, with British troops on routine guard duty as the First World War raged elsewhere. Few expected unrest, and places like the General Post Office seemed destined for another uneventful day.

That calm broke when the Kimmage Garrison, led by Captain George Plunkett, appeared in the city’s southwest, marching like ordinary soldiers. In a sudden theatrical turn, Plunkett commandeered a tram at gunpoint, loaded his 52 men aboard, and coolly requested “fifty-two tuppenny tickets to the city centre,” marking the opening act of the Easter Rising.

National Volunteers practise, Dublin ,1914

Context: In the years before 1916, the organisers of the Rising quietly recruited men who already had military experience, particularly Irish veterans of the British Army and disciplined members of the Irish Volunteers. Training was deliberately low-key: drilling took place openly under the guise of volunteer exercises, while more serious preparation was handled by trusted Irish Republican Brotherhood officers within the ranks. Rather than mass conscription, the rebellion relied on careful selection, secrecy, and ideological commitment, ensuring that those chosen were willing to act despite overwhelming odds.

The #IrishCitizenArmy was formed on #ThisDayInHistory in 1913 by #union leader #JamesConnolly. Originally led by Jack White and facing off against #police, Connolly later took charge and moved it towards nationalist goals, with #ICA participating in the #EasterRising in 1916.

She died at the age of 59 of complications after two appendicitis operations, a dangerous surgery in the days before antibiotics.
She had given away the last of her wealth, and died in a public ward "among the poor where she wanted to be".
She was refused a state funeral by the Free State government. 2/2

#Ireland #IrishHistory #CountessMarkievicz #EasterRising #OnThisDay

Countess Markievicz died on 15 July 1927 in Dublin. A founding member of Fianna Éireann, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army, she took part in the Easter Rising in 1916. She was sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of her sex. She was the first woman elected to the UK House of Commons. She was elected Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, becoming the first female cabinet minister in Europe. 1/2

#Ireland #IrishHistory #CountessMarkievicz #EasterRising

"Michael Collins monument, Grand Parade Cork"

#michaelcollins #monument #statue #history #memory #memorykeeping #grandparade #grandparadecork #cork #corkcity #ireland #easterrising #easterrising1916 #sunnyday #photooftheday #onpassing #quickshot #urban #urbanart #city #street #streetphotography #ciudad #ciudadanas #shotoniphone #iphone12mini

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It was a very gripping read and I totally got drawn into the flow of the lives of the Irish women who did fight to save as many mothers and newborns as they could. - The portrait of the obstetrician and physician Dr. Kathleen Lynn is the true story of a woman with exactly that name that lived beyond the norm, was a key figure in the 1916 Easter Rising and previously was a member of the Irish suffragettes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Lynn

#suffragettes #Ireland #EasterRising #KathleenLynn

Following the defeat of the Easter Rising and the arrest of the majority of its leaders, he was taken to Kilmainham Gaol and executed by firing squad for his part in its proceedings. 2/2

#Ireland #IrishHistory #JamesConnolly #EasterRising #OnThisDay

James Connolly (Séamas Ó Conghaile) was born on 5 June 1868 to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the age of 11, and became involved in socialist politics in the 1880s.

He opposed British rule in Ireland, and was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, commanding the Irish Citizen Army throughout.

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#Ireland #IrishHistory #JamesConnolly #EasterRising #OnThisDay

‘Scotland is my home, but Ireland my country.’ Margaret Skinnider 2/2

#Ireland #Dublin #IrishHistory #ÉiríAmachNaCásca #EasterRising #MargaretSkinnider #Feminism #Coatbridge #Scotland #OnThisDay

Today in Labor History May 12, 1916: The authorities executed James Connolly on this date for his role in the Easter Rising, which took place in Dublin, the month prior. The uprising sought to end British rule and create an independent Ireland. 485 people died in the fighting, including 143 British soldiers and cops. The rest were mostly Irish civilians. The British took 3,500 prisoners and sent 1,800 to internment camps. They also executed sixteen of the rebel leaders, sparking outrage among the Irish public. Connolly was an Irish republican, socialist and union leader. Prior to the Easter Rising, he lived in Scotland and participated in Scottish socialist organizations. After that, he emigrated to the U.S., where he cofounded the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), along with Lucy Parsons, Mother Jones, Eugene Debs and Big Bill Haywood. He also founded the Irish Socialist Federation in New York. In Ireland, and was a leader of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union. He also participated in the Dublin lock-out, one of the largest and most severe labor disputes in Irish history.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #jamesconnolly #IWW #dublin #easterrising #union #strike #ireland #independence #socialism #colonialism

Instead of being marched to the same spot where the others had been executed, at the far end of the execution yard, Connolly was tied to a chair and then shot.

Fuair siad bás ar son Saoirse na hÉireann. 2/2

#Ireland #IrishHistory #EasterRising #ÉiríAmachNaCásca #Dublin #JamesConnolly #SeánMacDiarmada #OnThisDay

On 4th May 1916 Edward Daly (Éamonn Ó Dálaigh), Michael O’Hanrahan (Mícheál Ó hAnnracháin), William Pearse (Uilliam Seamus Mac Piarais) (brother of Pádraig Pearse) and Joseph Mary Plunkett (Seosamh Máire Pluincéid) were executed by the British occupying forces in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin.

#Ireland #IrishHistory #EasterRising #WilliamPearse #EdwardDaly #MichaelOHanrahan #PádraigPearse #JosephMaryPlunkett #KilmainhamGaol #Dublin #OnThisDay

On 4 May 1976 Rosie Hackett died. She was a nationalist, a trade unionist, and a workers' rights activist. She was only 18 when she led workers at Jacob's Biscuits to strike for better conditions. She went to form the Irish Women Worker's Union with Delia Larkin, Jim Larkin's sister. She took part in the Easter Rising as a nurse.

#Ireland #IrishHistory #RosieHackett #IrishWomenWorkersUnion #DeliaLarkin #JimLarkin #EasterRising

On 29 April 1916 Michael Joseph O’Rahilly, ‘The O’Rahilly’ ('an Rathghailleach') died. He was a Republican who took part in the Easter Rising. He was killed in a charge on a British machine gun post covering the retreat from the Dublin GPO during the fighting.

#Ireland #IrishHistory #EasterRising #ÉiríAmachNaCásca #TheORahilly #Dublin #OnThisDay

[Edit: 'an Ua Rathghaille' corrected to 'an Rathghailleach']

On 29 April 1916 Pádraig Mac Piarais (Pádraig Pearse) ordered the surrender of the rebels bringing to an end the Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca). Approximately 64 rebels, 132 crown forces, and 230 civilians had been killed. 2,500 people had been wounded and the centre of Dublin had been devastated by the shelling.

#Ireland #IrishHistory #EasterRising #ÉiríAmachNaCásca #PádraigPearse #Dublin #OnThisDay