PARTEEN to organise or p t

his year marks the 75th 10 branches and its headquarters, the Newmarket branch lapsed shortly anniversary of the lrish Liberty Hall, had been destroyed in the afterwards and was not revived until Transport and General Rising. August 29, 1919. Other centres in Workers' Union. On But the annual report for 1918 Clare were quick to introduce the un- January 4, 1909, at a claimed: "Easter week saved the Un- ion. started its own branch meeting of dockers held in ion. It cancelled out the reaction from with Tom Molony as secretary; the Trades Hall, Dublin, 1913, and removed bitter prejudices followed, with Tom Gleeson as Jim Larkin set up his new which had blocked its progress. It secretary; then O'Brien's Bridge with union. Up to then, all quay workers linked up the Labour Movement with Francis Duggan of Bridgetown as belonged to the National Union of Dock the age-long aspirations of the lrish secretary; Scariff had Martin Gildea as Labourers which was English-based, people for emancipation from political secretary. By 1920 union records show with its headquarters in Liverpool. The and social thraldom, and formed a that Clare had 22 branches - nine in newly-formed break-away union was national moratorium under cover of mid-Clare, nine in the east and four in to be markedly lrish and open to most which it was able to make a fresh start the west. Unfortunately, the typed grades of workers, but excluding on better terms with increased mem- membership list attached to the women. Tom Foran was the union's bership". manuscript in the National Library con- first president and Larkin was appoin- The years 19 17 and 19 18 were in- taining details of branches in Clare ted secretary. Headquarters were set spiring times for workers and a stirring has been lost. Without this list it is im- up in Beresford Place in the Northum- period for the union. The Rising had possible to reconstruct accurately the berland Hotel, later to be named given its own fillip to workers' spirits. early days of individual branches in the Liberty Hall. Then the Bolshevik Revolution in 19 17 county. The Dublin initiative in breaking acted as a global catalyst. Tom One may well ask why did a branch away from the NUDL was followed in Johnson, of the lrish Congress of Trade of the union appear in Parteen since it other parts of the country. Branches of Unions, and later to be leader of the was not an industrial area. In 1918, the ITGWU were set up in the port Labour Party, spelt out the message of Parteen had little to boast of apart from towns of Wexford, Waterford, Cork, that revolution: "It means that as the Lax Weir which employed a couple Sligo and Belfast. Membership grew society is based upon labour, labour of men from the village. Sadly, since rapidly, particularly in Dublin, and when shall rule". Some parts of the country then the weir has atrophied. But in the lock-out took place there in 19 13 it took that message more seriously than those days, the main employers in the was estimated that over 20,000 wage- others and set up workers' councils or locality were the few "big houses" earners were thrown idle by the em- soviets, based on the Russian model, which had their quota of coachmen, ployers in their attempt to smash the using physical force to do so if domestics and gardeners; agricultural Transport Union. Undoubtedly, the necessary. Clare had two of these labourers and tradesmen would also strike severely weakened the union, its councils, one in Broadford, the other in have been plentiful in and about the coffers were empty and shortly af- . village. The factories of nearby terwards Larkin, a sick man, left for The 87th branch of the lrish would have absorbed America on a fund-raising tour which Transport and General Workers' Union whatever spare labour there was, and was due to last for a year. The "tour" was set up in Parteen on June 8,191 8. even though the city was heavily un- lasted nine years. James Connolly took Patrick C. Clear, who ran the local post ionised as the general strike against over as acting general secretary even office, was registered as secretary. militarism of 1919 was to show, the though it was Larkin's wish that P.T. Meetings were held in the school near focus for employees activities would Daly fake the post. Putting it mildly, Parteen bridge and later moved to an have been the factory floor and not Larkin and Connolly seldom saw eye to old shed on a plot of ground known as their home area. Neither was there any eye, and the latter had grown tired of "No Man's Land". great land agitation in the place at the Larkin's ego-tripping, unpredictability The branch remittance to head of- time; the so-called "landless men" had and incoherent approach to the fice for its first year was £39-7-2 made no impact as yet. Nor is there problems of labour. In Connolly's short which would indicate a considerable any indication that Parteen had a term of office, before he was executed membership. In fact, folk memory has branch of the Trade and Labour Union on May 12, 1916, for his part in the it that-everyone was in "the Union". or its successors, the District Labour Rising, he bequeathed to the union a The Parteen branch was the second Association and the District Cottiers' socialist philosophical base to be used to be established in Clare. The first Association. The Shannon Scheme, - as the canon and cutting edge for it branch was founded at Newmarket-on- which was later to transform and even ever after. At the end of 19 16, the un- Fergus on May 25, 1918, a mere "transplant" the village, had not yet ion, sorely in debt, colsisted of just fortnight before the Parteen one. But been propos3d. Apart from a brief in- Parteen waterway dustrial dispute connected with fisher- branch in the parish could have been Byrne was shot during a rescue at- men on the Shannon early in the cen- that the trade union organisation and tempt at the Limerick Union Hospital, tury, there is no other record of in- structure provided an acceptable face and was brought by the rescue-party to dustrial action in the locality. So, why for other activities mainly of a a house in Knockalisheen, less than then was there a branch of the ITGWU republican nature. The local Volunteers two miles from Parteen, but died shor- established in Parteen? were quite active and came under the tly afterwards. On April 9, 1919, the It is very difficult to pin down a leadership of the famous Brennan British military authorities proclaimed specific reason. The end of World War brothers of the East Clare Brigade who the city of Limerick a special military 1 had brought demobilisation and the lived only a few short miles away in the area. The Trades' Council, urged on by fear of recession. Thousands of former neighbouring twin parish of Meelick. the republican forces, took immediate soldiers had crowded on to the job St. Thomas' Island, reportedly, was a and militant action. A general strike market causing greater unemployment favourite meeting place for the Volun- was declared which lasted for 11 days. and threatening those who already had teers and it was also used for hiding The same year Michael Brennan and jobs. The union offered some protec- caches of arms, as there were subterra- about twenty Volunteers raided the tion to workers, particularly as many nean passages there. A "Junior" ver- GPO in Limerick and got away with employers were inclined to favour the sion of the Volunteers also existed in £1,500; they needed the money for men who had given service to the Em- the parish in the form of the scouts arms and, as Brennan later reminisced, pire; in certain sectors it also gave the (Fianna Eireann), who were used in the he could see no objection to the British prospect of betterment. gathering of intelligence. There is no providing that money1 The raid was The anti-conscription campaign of doubt that the Transport Union, ever successful, primarily because of in- 1918 helped in its own way to since Connolly's time, had provided a telligence supplied to Brennan by Jack heighten consciousness against British vehicle for republican thought and ac- Coughlan, a post office employee; in rule. As a result of a meeting between tion; the main local link was the fact, Coughlan was an important wheel the delegation of the Mansion House Limerick branch, whose O'Connell in Brennan's very efficient machine. Conference, which included Dublin's Street premises also served as head- Most, if not all, of the credit for the Lord Mayor O'Neill, de Valera, Dillon, quarters for the IRA's mid-Limerick founding of a branch at Parteen must Healy and William O'Brien, and the Brigade. be attributed to Pat Clear, the Catholic Hierarchy, the bishops decided It is interesting to note that there secretary. "A man ahead of his time" is that an announcement would be made was a post office connection with how he is best remembered in the area. at public Masses, in every parish of the some of this activity. Sometimes one hears the qualification, country, of a meeting to be held for Pat Clear, the union secretary, was "In those days he was considered a the purpose of administering a pledge the Parteen postmaster. A telegraphist bit of a communist". A "communist" against cumpulsory conscription. The at the Limerick G.P.O., Bobby Byrne, then and for many years afterwards, labour movement, of course, was also was a prominent trade unionist and a was a nomenclature for describing busy in this regard. A general one-day delegate to the Limerick Trades' Coun- someone who was different, who did strike was called for April 23. The cil. He was also a leading republican not fit comfortably into the tram- country responded enthusiastically to and was sentenced to 12 months im- tracked categories of political life, and both initiatives. prisonment after a revolver and arn- who was prepared to challenge the Another reason for tbe founding of a munition had been found in his house. vested interests and shibboleths of , l, -- society. Clear's politics were republican were arrested and imprisoned. For ex- really are". and labour. His family had been in the ample, William O'Brien, general For one reason or another, nothing area for many years, some of them treasurer, was arrested in Dublin and on Parteen appeared in the next issue, teaching in the local school which for a later released on hunger strike from but the promised disclosures did ap- while was an agricultural school. At Wormwood Scrubs jail; Cathal O'Shan- pear in the issue for November 26 un- any rate, union records show that Clear non, editor of The Voice of Labour, der the heading "Workers Fighting was an organiser of no mean ability was picked up in London and later Bosses on All Ireland Fronts". The and that the interests ~f the working released on hunger strike from Mount- report began by stating that the branch . class were his constant priority. joy Jail. In reply to harrassment at local had been started three and a half years Even though most of the union's level, the East Clare Brigade defended ago and that meetings had been held Clare branches were set up in the and counter-attacked as best it could. weekly in the local school. This was i countryside the most notable suc- An ambush on the Black and Tans at allowed to continue for eight months cesses were recorded in the towns. Glenwood left six of the Auxiliaries until: From newspaper reports one can see dead and their transport in flames. In "Fr. Russell, P.P. shifted us from the that the most militant trade unionists in reprisal, thirty-six houses in the locality school 'for fear the Commissioners 1918 and 19 19 were shop assistants, were set on fire. of National Ecucation would come asylum workers, law clerks and The net effect on the Transport Un- at him'. We asked that Board for domestic* workers. Agricultural ion of this campaign of terror was that permission, and they referred us to labourers, even though they totalled membership dropped throughout the Fr. Russell and stated that they 40,000 in the union by 1920, could country and so did attendance at wouldn't interfere. Fr. Russell was not be induced to make a wage de- branch meetings. Consequently, approached again and wouldn't mand in Clare until late 1920. But the finance suffered and hence the budge. Fr. Russell was asked for an union was remarkably successful with decreased remittance to Head Office. A old house near the chapel, and he other classes of workers: a wage rise of second reason for the drop in returns answered by dismantling this old 33-45% was won for trained was that money was scarce anyway. house. Shortly afterwards, our domestics; 50-1 25% for shop assis- The country was in the grip of post-war branch took refuge in an old disused tants; 75% for boatmen on the Shan- recession which was hitting employers shed on the school premises; spent non; road workers in the county were and employees alike. Agricultural f 10 in improving same; cut weeds now (1920) getting f 1-1 5-0 to £2-8-0 prices reflected the decline in the and nettles,which were six feet high, weekly, compared to 121- before the economy as did unemployment figures near it and held meetings there. war. These achievements were reflec- - 58,000 were out of work at the end Result: Secretary Clear processed ted in press reports. A Parteen of 1920, rising to 1 13,000 at the end for £50 damages, ejectment, etc. correspondent wrote in The Voice of of 1921. The agrarian agitation which Fancy, being processed for f 50 after Labour: "Full steam ahead with this hit Clare in early 1920 disappeared spending f 10 on improvements! branch. Careless members are stump- practically, and the radical trade un- The proceedings in the County Court ing up all round. The road workers have ionism which characterised the were a farce. 'Our solicitor admitted' through our vigilance department got previous two years was replaced by a that defendant 'only' did f 5 their working benefit". more cautious, conciliatory and ten- damage. It would be interesting to The im"poved fortunes and in- tative approach. The annual report for know who paid for his 'admission'. creased activity of the union, generally, 1921 reluctaritly admitted: Needless to say, the case was ap- were reflected in the annual report for "To assert that no wage reductions pealed to a higher court, and it came 1919. Total receipts amounted to were sustained in Ireland during the before Lord Justice O'Connor. That f 74,474-1 4-1 0. The report also noted, year under review would be too sweep- gentleman swept aside the charge "The influenza epidemic, which did ing, for in a few districts organised men of stealing and housebreaking and dreadful havoc in many of the Irish had to give away something, but this gave Fr. Russell possession of the towns, was chiefly responsible for rais- was almost altogether due to good Un- shed and all the tall nettles we ing the outlay on Mortality Benefit to ion men suffering for the sins of hadn't time to cut. His Lordship also E 3,281 - 10-0." Parteen branch is not slackers, and it can safely be declared stated that Fr. Russell should be listed among the recipients of this that, where organisation was good, proud to have a branch of the benefit which would indicate that its wages were not impaired, and that, all ITGWU in his parish, and prouder members escaped the worst of the round, a standard of life far superior to still that its members wouldn't epidemic. In fact, the year l919 the inadequate pre-war one was still tolerate any slur on them. As it was marked the highest point in financial secured". pointed out to the judge that the terms for the Parteen branch, with its There were other events happening school, sheds, and two acres of land, remittance to Head Office totalling in Parteen during 192 1 which were a were given for the education of the f 88-4-0, which was double the figure cause for concern. The Voice of poor of the parish, he instructed the for the year 1918. The following year, Labour carried the following brief secretary how to get possession if 1920, saw f 82-1 2-8 being forwarded report: we have a claim. We should get in to Liberty Hall, now rebuilt after having "Pa Lane made an attempt to come at touch with the Commissioners of being demolished during the Rising. the blind side of the Parteen boys by Charitable Donations and Bequests, The year 1921 marked the beginn- employing another non-Union man, but he advised. This we did. We unders- ing of the end, in financial terms, for Tommy Philips was too yorky for him. tand that the Charity was not Parteen branch. Only f 51-3-7 was Good man Philips! Nearly as good as registered with these Com- forwarded to Head Office, with £4-1 0- Guinane's slobdoleger to Moroney". missioners. When we got notified of 0 received from Dublin,. There are a this, our branch held a special variety of reasons for this drop in remit- This was followed by another rather meeting and decided that its mem- tance. Firstly, the Black and Tan terror cryptic note on November 12: bers, representing the poor of Par- campaign which seriously disrupted "Canon Rupell, P.P., and the local teen had a greater claim on the social life in the country began in Sep- teachers have processed three mem- sheds and land than the farmers and tember 1920; the Transport Union was bers of Parteen branch (writes a local people outside the parish, and then singled out for indiscriminate harrass- correspondent) for f 50 damages. With and there took possession of their ment. Branch offices were frequently the Editor's permission, we will prove own. Canon Russell, P.P., Mr. Kyran raided and burned down by the crown in next week's issue to the satisfaction Kelly, N.T., and Miss O'Sullivan, N.T., forces. Senior executives of the Union of everybody, who the aggressors are the plaintiffs in the case now to .I The Parteen rugby team. Pat Clear is seated third from right in the middle row.

be tried. The only alternative for our to have to go to law from time to time The Voice of Labour for May 20 branch was to get an injunction with the labourers'. Fellow workers, the contained an interesting report from against Canon Russell for breach of labouring class represent over 60% of neighbouring Clonlara: "A big proces- trust. This would cost f 50 at least, his parishioners. Wouldn't someone tell sion was held on National Stoppage we are informed. him to let the farmers do their own Day, May I st. The Red Flag headed the In spite of the fact that we are be- dirty work". parade and all businesses closed in the ing driven from post to pillar - even The annual general meeting of the area as well as the local creamery". though we have been wrongly ac- branch was held on January 6, 1922. cused and charges brought against The Voice of Labour carried the The year 1922 saw the withdrawal us which haven't been substantiated following brief note announcing the of British forces from Ireland and the or withdrawn - we are ready to meeting: "Members of the defunct acceptance of the Treaty. It also saw give up full and complete possession Gardeners' Society and Motor the most bitter Civil War which of this property to Canon Russell Workers' Union have promised to join resulted in the deaths of nearly 5,000 provided he uses it in the interests of 0BU.Drastic changes are to be made in Irishmen. It was a most difficult time. the poor of Parteen". the personnel of branch committee. for the ITGWU. Members of the union This report was followed by another That's all". Unfortunately, The Voice were divided into pro- and anti-Treaty from Parteen on December 10: of Labour did not carry a report of the loyalties. The fact that the economy "Every department in Parteen is man- proceedings of the annual general was in tatters and that unemployment ned by the Boss Class. The District meeting so we know very little about was rife contributed to the general court which tried our Schools Allot- what changes were made. chaos and compounded the difficulties ment case was ruled by "Canon" law. Apparently the branch was still quite for the ITGWU. Still we hold the fort, and we intend to. healthy three months later when the Some of the bosses got our Flag and Limerick Echo carried a report of a Parteen had its own disruptive spell made ribbons of it at a local re-union of meeting presided over by Michael during this time. A curfew was im- the Die-hards". The Die-hards were Keegan. A decision was taken at the posed in the Blackwater area. The hard-line Republicans. meeting to press the Meelick District Limerick Echo and the Limerick The Voice of Labour carried Council to formulate a scheme for the Leader carried the following proclama- another report from Parteen on erection of 20 labourers' cottages. A tion: December 17, 192 1, which indicated number of houses, which had "Owing to the continuous distur- that things were not likely to improve previously been condemned by bance and firing of shots in the in the district for some time: "We are sanitary inspectors were still being oc- Blackwater area over land disputes, looking forward to a glorious peace in cupied by labourers and their families. we the undersigned, while regretting Parteen. A Parish Court has been for- Mr. E. O'Brien, vice-chairman of the having to take such action, feel it our med. At its formation, the Very Rev. Council, attended the meeting and duty, under the circumstances, to Canon Russell stated that Le 'expects promised to help. , c. proclaim curfew on Blackwater es-