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The Dublin Lockout was a major industrial dispute that raged between 300 employers and approximately 20.000 workers in the capital between August 1913 and 18 January 1914, provoked by demands for better labour conditions. The most severe industrial dispute in Irish history, the action was ultimately unsuccessful in achieving pay and conditions that were substantially better for workers – however, it succeeded in bringing employers to their knees and marked a watershed moment in Irish labour culture by firmly asserting worker solidarity.
This extract, from a new book on the dispute A Capital in Conflict: Dublin City and the 1913 Lockout, tells of the vicious in-fighting between strikers and ‘scabs’ during the dispute…
THE LOCKOUT BEGAN on 26 August 1913 at 10 am, trams stopped working all over Dublin as both drivers and conductors walked off the job. William Martin Murphy, owner of the Dublin United Tramway Company, also owned the Irish Independent and Evening Herald newspapers. Soon after the initial strike, a boycott of both papers commenced, encouraged by James Larkin, who asked vendors not to sell either publication. Many
younger newspaper vendors joined the strike in 1913, which is not surprising, because Desmond Greaves has shown that Larkin had unionised some of the vendors two years earlier.
Newsvendors appeared to be spilt on the issue of striking and in an interview in one of his newspapers, William Martin Murphy said that his newsboys had been attacked several times since the strike begun. The Weekly Irish Timer reported that Christopher Crosbie (aged 18) and four boys, one being Patrick Cleary (aged 13) had assaulted Evening Herald newsboy, Matthew Mahon. Mahon had been told by his attackers to put his papers down or they would keep beating him. This was not an isolated incident, on 6 September, James Quinn who was described as a ‘little boy’, was confronted at Nelson’s Pillar but managed to escape from his attackers.
The Lockout caused widespread distress as labourers everywhere began to get locked out of work. Though not all workers were locked out or striking, their work environment would have been heavily affected. In one case, Mary Murphy, a factory worker, aged 14, was charged with attacking another girl from her factory, Messrs. W. & R. Jacob’s, as she went into work.
Trying to continue working amidst the Lockout was made harder by the continuous update to their ‘scabs’ list, published in The Irish Worker. The scab list was a list of people still working for companies that had locked out employees. The 27 October issue gives an example of this, as the papers mention both companies and people who were ‘scabs’, giving full addresses for most. It is surprising with lists such as this that more beatings were not reported in the newspapers, like for instance, that of James Reilly, who was harassed at his home by locked-out workers of the same company for which he worked.
Working during this chaotic period was not the only way of getting hurt; the infamous large-scale riots had thousands of casualties and a number of deaths. On 2 September, The Freeman’s Journal reported that 400 people had been injured over two days of rioting in the city, these riots also led to the loss of two lives, James Nolan and James Byrne. Large numbers of people were arrested during the following days, and by 3 September several minors were facing charges for throwing missiles at police. James Doyle was arrested on Winetavern Street and had his head bandaged when he was arrested. James Brady was also in the same state when he was arrested on Mary Street for the same crime.
This was the first of many riots that took place throughout this period until December. Dublin Castle’s intelligence report gave an account of rioting in Finglas on 16 September, in which Patrick Daly was shot in the back by a police constable. Patrick Daly, who was 17 years old, was described as a quiet boy and employed in the local village. He recovered from his wound, as the bullet had hit his shoulder.
By 23 September the state of the city had become very dangerous for civilians and police and the commissioner of the police reported that he did not have enough uniformed police to perform all the necessary duties. Strangely, the intelligence report does not record if he received extra men to help with the situation, as he already had use of military stations in Dublin. The Dublin Scout Association, also known as the Baden Powell scouts, asked its members to stop wearing uniforms in the city until further notice, and this can be assumed to be for the boy scouts’ safety.
A martyr and victim of the violence during this period was Alice Brady. Brady was 16 years old; a member of the Irish Women Workers’ Union (IWWU) who was shot in the hand during a minor riot in Great Brunswick Street. She died a month later from tetanus. The riot had been caused when a group of women screamed at coal workers, who apparently broke the strike; one worker panicked and set off his revolver. In the court case it was argued that the man, Patrick Traynor, did not mean to shoot at anyone and did not aim at Brady.
Alice Brady’s funeral took place in January 1914 and was used for propaganda. The Freeman’s Journal noted that the procession was large, with 500 IWWU in attendance along with several other bodies represented. James Larkin, James Connolly, Delia Larkin and Countess Markievicz walked behind the parents in the procession, with graveside orations given by both Larkin and Connolly. Larkin said that their sister had been sacrificed at the altar of sweating misery and degradation; with her great strength of character she would have been a great woman. When giving sympathies to the parents, he also gave his sympathies to the IWWU on their loss.
He finished by saying that they would leave her graveside more determined than ever to have an Ireland free from slavery thraldom, while James Connolly stated that her death was on every ‘scab’ and employer of a ‘scab’.
A Capital in Conflict: Dublin City and the 1913 Lockout is edited by Francis Devine and published by Four Courts Press. The book’s official launch, by the Lord Mayor, will take place on Saturday 13 April 2013.
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What the hell are Homeland Security doing checking suspected video piracy in cinemas?
Deterring future occurences maybe?
That’s not their charter though…
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States and its territories (including protectorates) from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural disasters.”
Video piracy is the remit of the FBI.
USA is now a police state in many ways
America is a very strange countries these days.
I’d imagine they were in the cinema to prevent any more mass murders, like the 24 deaths in the cinema in Aurora in 2012.
If Homeland Security don’t want anyone recording this movie then I REALLY have to see it, sounds like an endorsement to me. Can they do that?
“Writing anonymously” I.e. hes making it up. A far fetched story and not believable at all.
Are we sure that it wasn’t “Captain Phillips” that was showing.
Piracy funds terrorists. Or at least that’s what the start of all my DVDs tell me.
You wouldn’t steal a bag.
You wouldn’t steal a car.
Why would you steal a movie. Piracy funds terrorism.
You wouldn’t steal a handbag.
You wouldn’t steal a car.
You wouldn’t steal a baby.
You wouldn’t shoot a policeman.
And then steal his helmet.
You wouldn’t go to the toilet in his helmet.
And then send it to the policeman’s grieving widow.
And then steal it again!
Downloading films is stealing.
If you do it, you will face the consequences.
Given that it was in America it’s surprising the police didn’t shoot him dead
Shoot first, download files later..
It’s like what the USSR was in the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. A police state with thousands of spies.
Haven’t much sympathy for him. Should have a normal pair of glasses too if he needs them to see. Same thing as holding up your phone pretending to record and then saying that’s fine because your phone was off. How are the staff supposed to be able to tell that you’re not recording without taking the device off of you? He was either looking for attention or just stupid
Let’s say he was stupid etc like you say, what’s it got to do with homeland security?
As stated by Alan Kennedy, the ICE branch of Homeland Security deals with piracy.
“the Glass user said that he had the device turned off during the screening, but still wore them for its prescription lenses.”
They were normal prescription glasses.
So you’d call glasses with videocapture capability as well as a host of other technology built in “normal prescription glasses.” I’d like to live in your world
Google glasses, I really hope they’re a complete failure, the thought of people walking about recording everything 24/7 kind of worries me and I’m pretty sure that they’re going to create a whole new set of problems for people down the road.
The implications of the use of the technology in this fashion have clearly not been fully thought through. At the very least there should be a light on the outside of the glasses to indicate you are being filmed & therefore decide if you want to be in shot or not. Hope these fail miserably…….Step too far for my liking
pros and cons, on the upside even car based ones will become more common so can sort out road rage etc. and otherwise a lot of bad behaviour , casual violence etc occurs because people assume they have a right to anonymity
There is an internet group (irony?) called “stop the cyborgs” or something similar highlighting such concerns.
Why wasn’t he stopped before he went in, why wait an hour into the screening
crazy stuff, even if he was the quality would be dire with a bobbing head for 90 minutes. The cinema Im sure is free to ban them. Just imagine if he’d eaten a pastry into the shape of a gun, it would have been death by cop.
Complete overkill. Homeland security getting involved had little relation to what occurred.
God bless America. Intrusive invention results in intrusive intervening.
There must be more too it.
Though it is america
So they invaded this man’s privacy among privacy fears? The US Government agencies are paranoid androids.
No, it wasn’t “privacy fears” and nor was his privacy invaded. He was suspected of movie piracy and was questioned. Which is what usually happens when you’re suspected of a crime.
Re the Glasses, never mind Piracy id be more wary about the implications on Privacy!!
As in when people where these & have their Camera consistently on without asking who they are viewing directly or indirectly their permission to film. Normal cameras are very obvious when photos/video is being taken so you can decide if you want to be in shot or not. These glasses do NOT give you that option. Huge Infringement on peoples privacy. So just for future ref if yer in my eyeshot in a restaurant or in a public place & you will be asked by me to turn the camera off.
Massive amount of overreaction here in the comments section at the mention of the US.
Police state my hairy hole.
As explained in the article the Homeland Security’s involvement is down to the officers involved were from homeland security’s ICE unit – which monitors piracy. ICE – US Immigration and *Customs Enforcement*.
Should’nt their responsibility be piracy, as in piracy on the sea, not piracy of goods.
Why don’t you go and marry America Alan!!
Your Ma would be lonely then, Colin.
Oh you’re THAT Alan Kennedy? Do you mind if i call you dad?
ICE is the equivalent of our customs and excise. This was not the DHS tasked with counter terrorism etc. misleading headline again there Journal….
Bs!! He was obviously of middle eastern decent, ice don’t work for Hollywood
Fret
have your say