Our union was central to the Easter Rising
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The Easter Rising of 1916 would not have happened without our union. Under the leadership of James Connolly, the acting general secretary of the ITGWU, the predecessor of SIPTU, was at the very centre of the Rising.
Connolly was a driving force behind the planning for the Rising. With Irish men facing conscription to fight for a British Empire most opposed, he had already decided in late 1915 that with or without the support of radical nationalists the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), the armed wing of the ITGWU, would make a stand against the authorities.
By the Spring of 1916, the ITGWU headquarters in Liberty Hall had become a bastion of opposition to British rule. The banner on the building since late 1914 stated that; ‘We Serve Neither King Not Kaiser But Ireland’.
It was in Liberty Hall the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, the manifesto of the Easter Rising, was printed and it was from there that both the ICA, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Volunteers marched to take over the GPO on Easter Monday.
It is this proud history which will be recalled in the series of high profile cultural events happening in Liberty Hall and organised elsewhere by the union to mark the Easter Rising.
That leading artists and poets including Christy Moore, Damo, Paula Meehan and Lynched, as well as numerous trade union and community activists have provided their services for the SIPTU Easter Rising programme of celebrations indicates that many still appreciate the sacrifices of our predecessors during this period.
The President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, will also attend key events in Liberty Hall including the gala concert on Easter Saturday 26th March and the State commemoration of the ICA on Easter Tuesday, 29th March.
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