Disturbed Dublin
1913. Dublin faced a bitter battle between the working class and employers.
Industries were virtually brought to a stand-still.
Trade was dying.
The ports were quieter.
Men wandered the streets, idly.
Written in 1914, this historical account by Arnold Wright freshly details the events that unfolded during the great labour upheaval in Dublin, particularly Larkinite movement.
Once a vibrant industrial centre, Dublin was not thriving. It was plain to see. Ireland as an industrial hub dated back to the seventeenth century. When the English imposed trade restrictions in 1699, to protect their own home traders, Irish businesses were hit hard.
The workers in Dublin lived in poor conditions. Mortality rates were significant. This level of poverty was driven by the lack of skilled workers, and hence the high unemployment rates. The poor housing conditions, coupled with the low wages received by those employed, just added to the dire conditions.
James Larkin, whose Irish descendancy was in question, appeared on the scene. Larkin became connected to the labour movement, on the side of the workers’. Having successfully intervened in previous movements, he was well versed in this area, and became the main protagonist.
He was willing to take up the challenge.
With Dublin in its poorest state, it was fertile ground for the propagation of the Principles of Revolutionary Industrialism. It was only a matter of time before Dublin got dragged into one of these uprisings. Larkin was in a position of power and took the opportunity to form a union.
With the majority of Dublin being anti-union, this movement resulted in significant unrest. Notably, William Martin Murphy led other bosses in the move to destroy this union. The resulting levels of violence were considerable as workers were first threatened, then left unemployed.
With Britain’s refusal to support the move, the strikers either starved or returned to work. Some had no other choice but to not join the union.
They were defeated, but not broken …
Arnold Wright (1858-1941) was an author and journalist. His father trained him in journalism, following which he went to India to take up a post with The Times of India. He later became the London Editor of the Yorkshire Post. Other works by Wright include Early English Adventurers in the East, and The Malay Peninsula: a record of British progress in the Middle East.
