The history of Irish trade unions stretches back into the eighteenth century, when local societies were established in the cities to represent craftsmen such as bricklayers, butchers and printers. From about 1889 a new type of union began to emerge in Ireland, aimed at organising the mass of skilled workers. Separate unions covering dockers, railwaymen and general workers were established in these years.
The Irish Trade Union Congress (ITUC) was founded in 1894. Its stated aim was to act as the collective voice of organised Irish labour. New unions began to establish themselves from 1907, with the arrival in Ireland of James Larkin as an organiser for the British dockers’ union. Two years later he established the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union (ITGWU).
Please click on the links below for more on the following Irish Trade unions:
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