Lockout: Dublin 1913

by Padraig Yeates

Lockout is the story of the most famous labor dispute in Irish history. On August 26, 1913 the trams stopped running in Dublin. Striking conductors and drivers, members of the Irish Transport Workers' Union, abandoned their vehicles. They had refused a demand from their employer, William Martin Murphy of the Dublin United Transport Company, to forswear union membership or face dismissal. The company then locked them out. Within a month, the charismatic union leader, James Larkin, had called out over 20,000 workers across the city in sympathetic action. By January 1914 the union had lost the battle, lacking the resources for a long campaign. But it won the 1913 meant that there was no going back to the horrors of pre-Larkin Dublin.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ireland

670 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2000

Reviews

[Stephen Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the period of Irish history immediately before the 1916 Rising. Interesting to see how the ground was laid ahead of the Rising, and how the players came to be involved. Very much worth the read. Also interesting to see James Connolly's rise to militant nationalist and his ultimate fate. While everything seemed preordained on the road to 1916, this book shows us where different roads could have been taken, and the ultimate crisis averted, or the political scene changed.

[Seán Rafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The definitive book on the Dublin Lockout. At nearly 600 pages I would certainly hope so! Thoroughly researched and laid out chronologically in an easy-to-read manner. At times you can't help feeling that there is a little too much detail as the author gets bogged down in some procedures from an obscure council meeting. He is just short of describing the ties worn by the participants. Overall though I couldn't fault the scholarship and research that went into this book. It is a great addition to labour history in Ireland and although a little biased [the author is a trade union activist who doesn't hide his disdain for the employers] it is a must read for those who are seriously interested in Irish labour history.

[Eleanor Mckenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone with a strong interest in labour history. Extremely detailed and well written