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Big Jim
Larkin1876-1947
One of the most dynamic and
fearless leaders in the history of the Irish Trade Union
Movement was born, ironically, in Liverpool, England, on
January 21, 1876. Jim Larkin was the second eldest member in
a family of six children.
The question is, why was this fiery labor leader born in
Liverpool, England. Like countless Irish families, Jim's
father, James Larkin from Killeavy, just outside Armagh
town, Co Armagh, was forced to leave Ireland because of the
combination of "the pull of the Industrial Revolution and
the push of the Great Hunger." So Jimmy Larkin set off for
the "capital of Ireland" across the Irish sea, Liverpool,
England.
James Larkin, the father, struggled for twenty years to
support the family earning minimal wages. Like many during
his time, he died at an early age. On Ash Wednesday 1887 and
only 38 years of age, Jim's father passed away.
James, the son, was 11 years of age at the time of his
father's death. He was taken in as an apprentice by his
father's firm and his starting wage was approximately 30
cents a week. He did not remain long at this particular job,
which was with an engineering firm, so he turned his hand to
a butcher's assistant, a paper-hanger, a French polisher,
and a dock worker. While working on the Liverpool docks he
was injured and out of work for five months. He did a lot of
reading during that five months and returned to work
following his recovery. He was 16 years of age.
The year was 1893 and Jim Larkin sought adventure. He stowed
on a steamer whose first port of call was Montevideo. Larkin
was discovered and put to work in the engine room. One night
after an exhausting work day, Jim retired to his bunk,
however, he was ordered to relieve a fireman in the engine
room, he refused. He was immediately sent for by the Chief
Engineer. As he entered the passageway to the engine room he
was seized and chained to a stanchion in the engine room. It
was a night Jim did not forget. He makes reference to that
night in his writings and in particular to the number of
rats he had all round him. Jim returned to Liverpool and
went back to working on the docks. At age 27, he was the
youngest and toughest boss on the Liverpool Docks. His
scrupulous honesty and his uncompromising devotion to the
cause of temperance, won him the respect of his men and his
employers.
On September 8, 1903, Jim Larkin married Elizabeth Brown. At
this time in his life he was deeply involved in the Trade
Union Movement, figuring in the turbulent labor struggles of
the time.
His association with unions in Ireland began in 1907. As a
footnote, a young man who was two years of age in 1907 and
who was born in Gortlougher, Kilgarvin, Co. Kerry, was to
become a future Union labor leader in New York. His name,
Michael Quill, the "Mr Lindsley man," but that's another
story. However, Jim Larkin had been sent to Belfast to
organize the dockers in Belfast. A year later 1908, he
arrived in Dublin. While in Dublin he organized several
strikes of laborers and dockers and in that same year The
Irish Transport and General Workers Union was born. Five
years later the Union was 10,000 strong. "Big Jims" next
move was to launch "The Irish Worker," a magazine that
achieved a circulation of 90,000, causing many employers to
become alarmed at his success.
The period from 1913 to 1914 became tumultuous times for
labor unions and their members in Ireland. Unrest culminated
in the 1913 lock-out. Ireland and in particular the city of
Dublin were greatly disturbed by labor disputes and in
August of 1913, 25,000 workers were unemployed. The Port of
Dublin was closed to cross-Channel shipping from October 12
to December 10. Savage rioting and conflicts with the police
occurred on August 31, September 1, and September 21, during
which roughly 500 people and 50 police constables were
injured. Two of the injured workers later died of wounds
received. Ongoing conferences between the two parties, labor
and management, were unsuccessful until January 19, 1914.
The industrial unrest of the closing months of 1913 ended.
As in most labor differences, there was no clear winner.
Many of the strikers only got their jobs back and then after
signing a statement that they would relinquish their
membership in the union.
Jim Larkin remained on as head of the I.T.G.W.U. until the
1940s. He entered politics and won a seat as a Labor Party
candidate in 1943 for Dublin North-East. Four years later in
1947, "Big Jim" Larkin died in Dublin.
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