James Larkin

James (Big Jim) Larkin (Irish: Séamas Ó Lorcáin; 21 January 1876 – 30 January 1947), an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist, was born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England in 1875. He and his family later moved to a small cottage in Burren, southern County Down. Growing up in poverty, he received little formal education and began working in a variety of jobs while still a child. He became a full-time trade union organiser in 1905. La... more

James (Big Jim) Larkin (Irish: Séamas Ó Lorcáin; 21 January 1876 – 30 January 1947), an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist, was born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England in 1875. He and his family later moved to a small cottage in Burren, southern County Down. Growing up in poverty, he received little formal education and began working in a variety of jobs while still a child. He became a full-time trade union organiser in 1905. Larkin moved to Belfast in 1907 and founded the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, the Irish Labour Party, and later the Workers' Union of Ireland. Perhaps best known for his role in the 1913 Dublin Lockout, "Big Jim" continues to occupy a significant place in Dublin's collective memory. Larkin's family lived in the slums of Liverpool during the early years of his life. From the age of seven, he attended school in the mornings and worked in the afternoons to supplement the family income—a common arrangement in working-class families at... less