James Connolly
James Connolly was born to Irish parents in Edinburgh in 1868. He worked
from the age of eleven, initially as a printer’s devil. He joined the
British Army at the age of fourteen and was stationed in Ireland. He and his
family settled in Dublin for a time and in 1896 Connolly founded the Irish
Socialist Republican Party. This was followed, in 1898, by the founding of
an Irish socialist newspaper, ‘The Workers Republic’. He lived in the United
States from 1903-1910 where he was an organiser for the Industrial Workers
of the World, and also editor of The Harp. On his return to Ireland he
settled in Belfast and took the position as Organiser for the newly formed
Irish Transport and General Workers Union. A leading figure during the 1913
Lockout, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Irish Citizen Army
to protect workers from vicious attacks by the police. Entirely
self-educated, Connolly was a prolific writer and, in 1914, he
re-established The Workers Republic. During Easter Week, Connolly was
Commandant General, Dublin Division of the Army of the Irish Republic and
fought in the GPO. He was severely injured during the fighting, having been
hit in the leg by a sniper’s bullet. He was the last of the signatories to
be executed. On the morning of his execution, Connolly was transported, by
ambulance, from the field hospital in Dublin Castle, to the stone breakers
yard in Kilmainham Gaol. There, he was carried off by stretcher and strapped
to a chair.
James Connolly was executed by British firing squad on 12th May, 1916.
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