Belfast City Council is to host a series of events to mark the rise of the trades union movement a century ago.
Announcing the programme, Councillor Maire Hendron, Chair of the council`s Good Relations Steering Group, commented: “The period between 1912 and 1922 witnessed some dramatic changes in this part of the world, and it is only right that, a century later, we recognise and remember the importance of that decade of key historical moments, and explore some of the significant events in detail.
“The role of the labour movement, and in particular the rise of the trades unions, in that period cannot be under-estimated, especially as they brought together men and women from all social, economic, political and religious backgrounds to fight for a common goal.”
To mark the centenary, a series of events is being held at the City Hall, as follows:
Tuesday 7 May: The story of the Belfast Dockers' Strike and subsequent 1913 Dubin Lockout, told in words and music with folk singers Jane Cassidy and Maurice Leyden, as well as some special guests.
Wednesday 15 May: The role of women in the labour movement, with Therese Moriarty.
Tuesday 21 May: Supping at the `bitter gourd`: struggles of the Belfast Labour Movement 1906 -1932, with John Gray, author of `City in Revolt – James Larkin and the Belfast Dock Strike`.
Thursday 30 May: The Dublin Lockout of 1913 - A Very British Conflict, with Padraig Yeates.
Thursday 6 June: Migration and the Making of a City, with Professor Stephen Royle and Agnieszka Martynowicz exploring the theme from the famine of the 1840s through the rise of the shipbuilding, engineering and linen industries in the latter 18th century, to the impact of the expansion of the European Union.
All these events start at 7.15pm (except Padraig Yeates, which is at 12.15pm) and are free of charge. Tickets can be obtained from the Belfast Welcome Centre in Donegall Place (telephone 9024 6609). More details.
