James Connolly (5 June 1868-12 May 1916) was an Irish Republican Brotherhood leader and Industrial Workers of the World-affiliated socialist and one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland. Connolly was a founder of the ITGWU (with James Larkin and the Irish Citizen Army, and he was one of the most important Irish labor leaders in history.
Biography[]
James Connolly was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on 5 June 1868 to a family of Irish Catholics from County Monaghan, Ireland. Connolly became involved in labor movements in Scotland during the late 19th century, leading protests against the Boer War and becoming a major socialist leader. Connolly lived in the United States from 1903 to 1910, and he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood on his return to the United Kingdom; he assisted in creating the ITGWU labor union. In 1913, he founded the Irish Citizen Army with fellow socialist James Larkin, protecting workers from policemen during strikes and protests. Connolly led the Dublin Brigade of the Brotherhood during the 1916 Easter Rising, and he became known as a formidable leader; Sinn Fein leader Michael Collins once said that he would have followed Connolly through hell. Connolly was arrested by the British Army after the failure of the uprising and was sentenced to death for treason, and he was executed by firing squad on 12 May 1916; because he was wounded during the uprising, he was executed while tied to a chair.
