The year 1919 was a time of revolution in Europe and Ireland. Six years after the Dublin Lockout, nationalist forces and trade unionists fused into powerful opposition to British rule. Against this background, an outbreak of worker power emerged in Limerick and the Limerick Soviet took over the city. This was the first such 'soviet' in either Britain or Ireland, and for two weeks they governed the city, producing newspapers, issuing their own currency and winning worldwide publicity. British authorities saw this event as a major threat and put Limerick under strict military control. This is the definitive account of an unsung but important moment in Ireland's history. It tells the story of the Soviet, and follows the events as they unfold day-by-day throughout the two weeks. It places the Soviet in the context of the political climate in Ireland, Europe and Britain, and it reveals the involvement of the Church, employers and leaders of the Labour movement in the events of the Soviet. The situation bore the seeeds of potential revolution, and provides an insight into the mind of workers at that time, whose loyalties lay with both the nationalist and the Labour movements. This book analyses the factors that defeated the Soviet, paving the way for Sinn Féin and the IRA to dominate the national struggle. It recounts the drama, courage and organisation of the Soviet, and outlines the involvement of leaders of the Labour movement in this crucial event. Illustrated with period photographs and mementos from the Soviet.

Forgotten Revolution: Limerick Soviet, 1919 : A Threat to British Power in Ireland

History

Cahill, Liam

Europe

The O'Brien Press

It is the Spring of 1919. The first shots have already been fired in the Irish War of Independence and the separatist Dáil Éireann has held its first public session. In Limerick, Ireland’s fourth largest city, the workers and their representatives take over running the city and their action is declared a ‘Soviet’. The British authorities see it as a serious threat to their rule in Ireland. The workers are protesting against a severe military law that requires them to get special passes and be checked going to and from work. The restrictions follow the IRA shooting of a policeman and the wounding of another during the rescue of an ill Republican prisoner from a local hospital. He, too, is wounded and dies. The workers control every aspect of life – production and distribution of food, opening and closing of shops, prices and transport. They publish their own newspaper and – uniquely – issue their own currency. Newspapers and newsreels across the world report on the events. Their initial success is built on a local alliance of Socialist, Republican and trade union forces, with the tacit support of the Catholic clergy. However, when the workers seek a general strike, the national leaderships of these disparate groups are opposed and abandon them. The outcome locally is an honourable draw and the militant spirit of Limerick’s women and men inspires more than a hundred other soviets across Ireland in the revolutionary years 1919 to 1923.

Forgotten Revolution [The Centenary Edition] The Limerick Soviet 1919

Orla Kelly Publishing

'A wonderful, beautifully written and important book' - John MacKenna (Writer and Broadcaster) This is history as you have never experienced it before. The Spanish Civil War. 1937. Hear the high-velocity bullets as they whiz past you, the frightening rattle of machine guns, the heavy rumble of approaching tanks and the whine of enemy aircraft overhead. Hear the surprised and anguished cries of your comrades as they fall around you, dead or badly wounded. 'From Suir to Jarama' tells the story of a young Irish volunteer, Mossie Quinlan, during his eighty-three days in Spain with the British Battalion of the International Brigades - helping Spanish workers and peasants to defend their freedom and democracy against the onslaught of Fascism. Travel into the country undercover with Mossie, train, eat, sleep and fight with him, until he dies heroically in the great Battle of Jarama, just outside Madrid. Learn about Mossie's life and the ideals that brought him from Ireland to the slaughter of a Spanish battlefield. And ask yourself: When heroes die, what do they leave behind and do they take a portion of their family's life with them? 'From Suir to Jarama' is beautifully illustrated, with comprehensive source materials listed and a full index.

From Suir to Jarama: Mossie Quinlan’s Life and Legacy

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

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