The pupils from Larkin Community College (Dublin 1), St Louis High School (Rathmines) and Mater Dei Primary School (Dublin 8) have helped embroider some of the 30 multi-media textile panels which combine to tell the story of the 1913 Lockout.
Presenting their certificates of achievement to the pupils SIPTU Campaigns and Equality Organiser, Ethel Buckley said: “The Tapestry will probably be the most enduring cultural artifact produced out of this year’s commemorations of the Lockout. It tells the story of heroism of ordinary working people, men and women, who refused to be bullied by employers into surrendering their rights to belong to the union of their choice and to look for better pay and conditions.”
She added: “The issues of collective bargaining, the right to be treated fairly and with dignity, and the right to a voice in the workplace remain contested to this day, which makes it all the more important that we use the opportunity of the Centenary to reassert them.”
Pupils attending the event said that the project helped them connect with the events of their great grand-parents time, which helped to shape modern Ireland.
NCAD Director, Declan McGonagle, said the collaboration between SIPTU, community groups, schools and the NCAD on the tapestry project linked artistic endeavor with the public.
Also in attendance were artists Robert Ballagh and Cathy Henderson who have been commissioned to oversee the project, and 1913 Committee members Padraig Yeates, Brendan Byrne and Mick Halpenny.
The Tapestry is scheduled for completion later this year.
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