James Connolly

Born Edinburgh, Scotland of Irish parents – said to have first come to Ireland in his youth as a member of the British Army – married in 1889 – active in The Socialist movement in Edinburgh in the early 1890s – came to Ireland in 1896 and founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party – lectured on socialism in Britain and U.S., 1902 – emigrated to U.S. in 1903 – member of Socialist Labour Party (U.S.) and the Industrial Workers of the World – founded the Irish Socialist Federation in New York, 1907 – returned to Ireland in 1910 as organiser for The Socialist Party of Ireland – Belfast organiser of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, 1910 – acting Gen. Sec. of I.T.G.W.U. and Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army, 1914 – Commandant General of Dublin Division of the Army of the Republic, 1916 – executed following the 1916 Uprising.

Our demands most moderate are –
We only want the earth!

James Connolly: “Be Moderate”

WORKS ARCHIVED:

1894

• Party Politicians – Noble, Ignoble and Local (Labour Chronicle, 1 December)

1895

• Currently, no texts available.

1896

• Irish Socialist Republican Party

1897

• Socialism and Nationalism (Shan Van Vocht, January)
• Patriotism and Labour (Shan Van Vocht, August)
• Socialism and Irish Nationalism (L’Irlande Libre, Paris)
• Erin’s Hope – The End & The Means (pamphlet)
• Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee

1898

• The Fighting Race (Workers’ Republic, 13 August)
• Home Rule Journalists and Patriotism (Workers’ Republic, 13 August)
• The Men We Honour (Workers’ Republic, 13 August)
• An Open Letter to Dublin Castle (Workers’ Republic, 13 August)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 20 August)
• The Roots of Modern War (Workers’ Republic, 20 August)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 27 August)
• Labour Representation (Workers’ Republic, 27 August)
• Peasant Proprietorship and Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 27 August)
• British and Russian Imperialism I (Workers’ Republic, 3 September)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 3 September)
• British and Russian Imperialism II (Workers’ Republic, 10 September)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 17 September)
• Regicide and Revolution (Workers’ Republic, 17 September)
• The Irish Land Question (Workers’ Republic, 24 September)
• The Independent and New Machinery (Workers’ Republic, 1 October)
• Parnellism and Labour (Workers’ Republic, 8 October)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 22 October)
• A Socialist Candidate for Dublin Corporation (Workers’ Republic, 22 October)

1899

• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, May)
• Resurgam! (Workers’ Republic, May)
• The Sweating System (Workers’ Republic, 3 June)
• State Monopoly versus Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 10 June – The New Evangel)
• Socialism and Religion (Workers’ Republic, 17 June – The New Evangel)
• Father Finlay, S.J., and Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 1 July – The New Evangel)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 1 July)
• Socialism and Political Reformers (Workers’ Republic, 8 July – The New Evangel)
• “Soldiers of the Queen” (Workers’ Republic, 15 July)
• Physical Force in Irish Politics (Workers’ Republic, 22 July)
• The Economic Basis of Politics (Workers’ Republic, 12 August – The New Evangel)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 19 August)
• The South African War I (Workers’ Republic, 19 August)
• Law and Order (Workers’ Republic, 26 August)
• The Re-Conquest of Ireland (Workers’ Republic, 2 September)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 9 September)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 23 September)
• Compositors and the Linotype (Workers’ Republic, 30 September)
• America and Ireland – Farmers’ Demands (Workers’ Republic, 21 October)
• Imperialism and Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 4 November)
• Socialism and Imperialism (Workers’ Republic, 4 November)
• Landlordism in Towns (Workers’ Republic, 18 November)
• The South African War II (Workers’ Republic, 18 November)
• A Plea for the Children (Workers’ Republic, 2 December)
• Dogma and Food (Workers’ Republic, 9 December)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 9 December)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 16 December)
• Dublin and the War (Workers’ Republic, 30 December)
• Our Mad Rulers (Workers’ Republic, 30 December)
• Let Us Free Ireland! (Workers’ Republic)

1900

• Bruce Glasier in Ireland (Justice, 31 March)
• The Difficulties of Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 3 June)
• The Difficulties of Socialism (Workers’ Republic, 3 June)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 3 June)
• The Difficulties of Capitalism (Workers’ Republic, 16 June)
• Resolution of Sympathy with the Boers (Workers’ Republic, 30 June)
• The Coming Generation (Workers’ Republic, 15 July)
• Ireland Sober is Ireland Free? (Workers’ Republic, 15 July)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 15 September)
• Parliamentary Democracy (Workers’ Republic, 22 September)
• Home Thrusts (Workers’ Republic, 10 November)
• The Corporation and the Children (Workers’ Republic, 24 November)
• An Object Lesson (Workers’ Republic, 15 December)

1901

• Socialist Electioneering (Workers’ Republic, February)
• Class Government and Class War (Workers’ Republic, May)
• Justice And Millerand (Justice, 25 May)
• Irish Trade Union Congress (Workers’ Republic, June)
• Home Rulers and Labour (Workers’ Republic, October)
• Letter to the Secretary of the Edinburgh branch of the SDF (letter, 1 November)
• Wood Quay Ward – To the Electors (Workers’ Republic, December)
• The New Evangel – Preached to Irish Toilers (pamphlet)

1902

• Coronation of King Edward VII, 1902
• Taken Root! (Workers’ Republic, March)
• The Irish Socialist Republican Party and the Dewsbury Election (Justice, 29 March 1902)
• Our “American Mission” (Workers’ Republic, August)

1903

• Wood Quay Ward, Election Address – Dublin (January)
• The New Danger (Workers’ Republic, April)
• A Rebel Song (The Socialist, May)
• Unpatriotic? (Workers’ Republic, May)
• The Socialist Labour Party of America and the London SDF (The Socialist, June)
• The American SDP – Its Origin, its Press, and its Policies (The Socialist, July)
• Loubet – and Other Things (The Socialist, August)

1904

• The Connolly–DeLeon Controversy (April–June)

1905

• Currently, no texts available.

1906

• Currently, no texts available.

1907

• Revolutionary Song (Songs of Freedom)
• We Only Want the Earth (Songs of Freedom)
• Wages and Prices (The Industrial Union Bulletin, 26 October 1907)

1908

• Declaration of Principles of the Irish Socialist Federation (New York, January)
• The Coming Revolt in India I (The Harp, January)
• Harp Strings (The Harp, January)
• Our Purpose and Function (The Harp, January)
• A Political Party of The Workers (The Harp, January)
• The Coming Revolt in India II (The Harp, February)
• Irish Socialist Republic – To the Irish People (The Harp, March)
• Sinn Féin and Socialism (The Harp, April)
• To Irish Wage Workers in America (The Harp, May)
• Harp Strings (The Harp, June)
• Political Action (The Harp, July)
• Michael Davitt – A Text for a Revolutionary Lecture (The Harp, August)
• The Irish Masses in History (The Harp, September)
• Roman Catholicism and Socialism (The Harp, September)
• Facets of American Liberty (The Harp, December)
• The Future of Labour (Socialism Made Easy)
• Industrial Unionism and Constructive Socialism (Socialism Made Easy)

1909

• Sinn Fein, Socialism and the Nation (Irish Nation, 23 January)
• Learning Their Lesson (The Harp, September)
• Ballots, Bullets, Or – (The International Socialist Review, October)
• Capitalism and the Irish Small Farmers (The Harp, November)
• Erin’s Hope – The End & The Means (Revised American edition)
• Socialism Made Easy (Extracts from Labor Action)
• Workshop Talks

1910

• A New Labour Policy (The Harp, January)
• Industrialism and the Trade Unions (International Socialist Review, February)
• Labour and Politics in Ireland (The Harp, April)
• Labour in Irish History, (pamphlet 1910)
• Labour, Nationality and Religion, (pamphlet 1910)
• Socialist Party of Ireland, (1910 or early 1911)

1911

• John Redmond, M.P. – His Strength and Weakness (Forward, 11 March)
• Sweatshops Behind the Orange Flag (Forward, 11 March)
• The Connolly–Walker Controversy: On Socialist Unity in Ireland (Forward, May–July)
• Belfast Dockers – Their Miseries and their Triumphs (Irish Worker, 26 August)
• Walter Carpenter Free (Irish Worker, 2 September)
• Direct Action in Belfast (Irish Worker, 16 September)
• Visit of King George V

1912

• An Exchange on Rome and Irish Catholics (Catholic Times, November)
• Some Rambling Remarks (Irish Worker, Christmas number)
• Belfast Labour Meeting & Home Rule Bill (resolution)

1913

• Belfast Municipal Elections January 1913 – Dock Ward: Election of a Councillor (January)
• British Labour and Irish politicians (Forward, 3 May)
• Catholicism, Protestantism & Politics (Forward, 3 May)
• Many-Headed Opposition (Forward, 10 May)
• The Awakening of Ulster’s Democracy (Forward, 7 June)
• The Larne Strike I (Forward, 14 June)
• The Larne Strike II (Forward, 28 June)
• July the 12th (Forward, 12 July)
• North-East Ulster (Forward, 2 August)
• A Forgotten Chapter in Irish History (Forward, 9 August)
• Belfast and Dublin To-Day (Forward, 23 August)
• The Dublin Lock Out: On the Eve (Irish Worker, 30 August)
• Press Poisoners in Ireland (Forward, 30 August)
• Glorious Dublin! (Forward, 4 October)
• Documents for the Askwith Inquiry
• The Children, The Irish Transport & General Workers’ Union and the Archbishop (Forward, 1 November)
• How to Release Larkin (Irish Worker, 1 November)
• Importation v. Deportation (Irish Worker, 8 November)
• Irish Rebels and English Mobs (Irish Worker, 22 November)
• A Titanic Struggle (The Daily Herald, 6 December)
• Capitalist Dove of Peace? (Irish Worker, 6 December)
• Home Thrusts (Irish Worker, 6 December)
• Arms and the Man (Irish Worker, 13 December)
• Home Thrusts (Irish Worker, 13 December)
• Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union
  To the Working Class of Dublin (Irish Worker, 13 December)
• A Fiery Cross or Christmas Bells (Irish Worker, 20 December)
• To the Linen Slaves of Belfast (Manifesto of Irish Textile Workers’ Union)

1914

• Mr Murphy’s Great New Year Speech (Irish Worker, 3 January)
• A Lesson From Dublin (Forward, 2 February)
• The Isolation of Dublin (Forward, 9 February)
• The Lenten Pastorals – A Challenge (Irish Worker, 28 February)
• Labour and the Proposed Partition of Ireland (Irish Worker, 14 March)
• The Outrages at Jacob’s (Irish Worker, 14 March)
• Industrial Unity and Political Division in Ireland (Forward, 21 March)
• The War in Ulster (Forward, 28 March)
• Ireland and Ulster: An Appeal to the Working Class (Irish Worker, 4 April)
• The Exclusion of Ulster (Forward, 11 April)
• The Solidarity of Labour (Forward, 18 April)
• Old Wine in New Bottles (New Age, 30 April)
• Independent Labour Party of Ireland: Ireland Upon The Dissecting Table (April)
• Changes (Forward, 9 May)
• The Legacy (Irish Worker, 23 May)
• The Problem of Trade Union Organization (Forward, 23 May)
• The Liberals and Ulster (Forward, 30 May)
• Address to the Delegates (Irish Worker, 30 May)
• Yellow Unions in Ireland (Forward, 20 June)
• Labour in the New Irish Parliament (Forward, 4 July)
• The Latest Massacre in Dublin (Forward, 1 August)
• The Carsonite Position (Irish Worker, 8 August)
• Our Duty In This Crisis (Irish Worker, 8 August)
• A Continental Revolution (Forward, 15 August)
• The National Danger (Irish Worker, 15 August)
• No Compromise – No Conciliation (Irish Worker, 15 August)
• A Martyr For Conscience Sake (Forward, 22 August)
• America and Europe (Irish Worker, 22 August)
• Northern Notes (Irish Worker, 22 August)
• On German Militarism (Irish Worker, 22 August)
• The War Upon The German Nation (Irish Worker, 29 August)
• The Real Situation In Ireland (Forward, 5 September)
• Connolly’s Speech on War’s Outbreak (Irish Worker, 5 September)
• Recruiting – Let the Wastrels Go (Irish Worker, 5 September)
• The Friends of Small Nationalities (Irish Worker, 12 September)
• Ruling By Fooling: “Home Rule On the Statute Book” (Irish Worker, 19 September)
• Some Perverted Battle Lines (Irish Worker, 26 September)
• A Matter of Coercion (Irish Worker, 3 October)
• Redmond Cannot Deliver the Goods (Irish Worker, 3 October)
• A Forward Policy for Volunteers (Irish Worker, 10 October)
• Forward! (Irish Worker, 17 October)
• How England Sacrificed Belgium (Irish Worker, 17 October)
• Ireland and the War – The Position of the Nation (Irish Worker, 17 October)
• The Ballot or the Barricades (Irish Worker, 24 October)
• The Hope of Ireland (Irish Worker, 31 October)
• Rally for Labour (Irish Worker, 14 November)
• Disturbed Dublin (Irish Worker, 18 November)
• Labour Mans the Breach (Irish Worker, 21 November)
• Tell the Truth – A Challenge to Mr Birrell (Irish Worker, 28 November)
• Courtsmartial and Revolution (Irish Work, 19 December)
• Independent Labour Party of Ireland: Appeal to the Irish Working Class
• War: What It Means To You (Irish Citizen Army [Belfast Division])

1915

• “In This Supreme Hour of Our National Danger” (The Worker, 9 January)
• Jottings (The Worker, 16 January)
• Our Rulers as a Study (The Worker, 30 January)
• Can Warfare Be Civilized? (The Worker, 30 January)
• Revolutionary Unionism and War (International Socialist Review, March)
• Love of Freedom (Workers’ Republic, 8 April)
• Revolutionary Warfare (Workers’ Republic, May–July)
• The Dublin Lock-Out and Its Sequel (Workers’ Republic, 29 May)
• Moscow Insurrection of 1905 (Workers’ Republic, 29 May [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• Our Policy (Workers’ Republic, 29 May)
• From a Labour Day Speech in Dublin (Workers’ Republic, 5 June)
• Insurrection in the Tyrol (Workers’ Republic, 5 June [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• Our Disappearing Liberties (Workers’ Republic, 5 June)
• College Green: A Labour Candidate (Workers’ Republic, 12 June)
• Revolution in Belgium (Workers’ Republic, 12 June [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• After the Battle (Workers’ Republic, 19 June)
• Defence of the Alamo (Workers’ Republic, 19 June [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• Liberty and Labour (Workers’ Republic, 19 June)
• A Railway Thief (Workers’ Republic, 26 June)
• War at Home (Workers’ Republic, 26 June)
• Revolution in Paris, 1830 (Workers’ Republic, 3 July [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• The Right to Strike (Workers’ Republic, 3 July)
• Lexington (Workers’ Republic, 10 July [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• What is a Scab? (Workers’ Republic, 10 July)
• Coercion in England (Workers’ Republic, 17 July)
• June 1848 (Workers’ Republic, 17 July [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• Street Fighting – Summary (Workers’ Republic, 24 July [from Revolutionary Warfare])
• Strikes and Revolution (Workers’ Republic, 24 July)
• Dublin Trades Council (Workers’ Republic, 31 July)
• The Man and the Cause! (Workers’ Republic, 31 July)
• Why The Citizen Army Honours Rossa (Rossa Souvenir, July)
• Ireland’s Travail and Ireland’s Resurrection (Workers’ Republic, 7 August)
• To All Labourers’ Societies (Workers’ Republic, 14 August)
• Militarism (Workers’ Republic, 21 August)
• Coercion in England (Workers’ Republic, 28 August)
• Wee Joe Devlin (Workers’ Republic, 28 August)
• The Party Versus the People (Workers’ Republic, 4 September)
• Protect Your Women (Workers’ Republic, 11 September)
• God Help the Poor Irish (Workers’ Republic, 18 September)
• Some Irish Slaves and Slavishness (Workers’ Republic, 25 September)
• James Keir Hardie (Workers’ Republic, 2 October)
• Labour and the Budget – Dublin Transport Workers’ Protest (Workers’ Republic, 2 October)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 2 October)
• In Praise of the Empire (Workers’ Republic, 9 October)
• Without Principle (Workers’ Republic, 9 October)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 16 October)
• To Hell with Contracts (Workers’ Republic, 16 October)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 23 October)
• The Immorality of Dublin (Workers’ Republic, 23 October)
• For the Citizen Army (Workers’ Republic, 30 October)
• A War For Civilization (Workers’ Republic, 30 October)
• Diplomacy (Workers’ Republic, 6 November)
• Recruiting the Irish Citizen Army (Workers’ Republic, 6 November)
• Ireland – Disaffected Or Revolutionary (Workers’ Republic, 13 November)
• The Returned Emigrants (Workers’ Republic, 13 November)
• The Dispute on the Docks – Is it War? (Workers’ Republic, 20 November)
• The Manchester Martyrs (Workers’ Republic, 20 November)
• Conscription(Workers’ Republic, 27 November)
• “Enlist or Starve!” (Workers’ Republic, 27 November)
• Dublin Trade and Dublin Strikes (Workers’ Republic, 4 December)
• “Trust Your Leaders!” (Workers’ Republic, 4 December)
• The Housing Problem from a New Standpoint (Workers’ Republic, 11 December)
• Economic Conscription I (Workers’ Republic, 18 December)
• Forgive and Forget (Workers’ Republic, 18 December)
• Correspondents (Workers’ Republic, 25 December)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 25 December)
• Two Fateful Christmas Weeks (Workers’ Republic, 25 December)
• The Re-Conquest of Ireland (pamphlet, 1915)

1916

• A Happy New Year (Workers’ Republic, 1 January)
• A Lesson of the Strike (Workers’ Republic, 8 January)
• The Volunteers of ’82 (Workers’ Republic, 8 January)
• Economic Conscription II (Workers’ Republic, 15 January)
• The Programme of Labour (Workers’ Republic, 19 January)
• What Is Our Programme? (Workers’ Republic, 22 January)
• In the Gap of Danger (Workers’ Republic, 22 January)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 5 February)
• The Slackers I (Workers’ Republic, 5 February)
• Cannon Fodder for British Imperialism (Workers’ Republic, 12 February)
• Still Fighting (Workers’ Republic, 12 February)
• What Is A Free Nation? (Workers’ Republic, 12 February)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 19 February)
• The Slums and the Trenches (Workers’ Republic, 26 February)
• Unemployment in Ireland (Workers’ Republic, 26 February)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 4 March)
• To the Seafarers of Ireland (Workers’ Republic, 4 March)
• The Days of March (Workers’ Republic, 11 March)
• The Slackers II (Workers’ Republic, 11 March)
• The German or the British Empire? (Workers’ Republic, 18 March)
• The National Festival (Workers’ Republic, 18 March)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 18 March)
• The Slackers III (Workers’ Republic, 25 March)
• We Will Rise Again (Workers’ Republic, 25 March)
• The Call To Arms (Workers’ Republic, 1 April)
• A Cheap Bargain (Workers’ Republic, 1 April)
• The Irish Flag (Workers’ Republic, 8 April)
• Forces of Civilisation (Workers’ Republic, 8 April)
• Irish Trade Union Congress (Workers’ Republic, 15 April)
• Notes on the Front (Workers’ Republic, 15 April)
• Labour and Ireland (Workers’ Republic, 22 April)
• Last Statement (Given to his daughter Nora Connolly on the eve of his execution by the British, 9 May)

Other Dates

• The Humours of Politics (Forward July 26, 1913 and Irish Worker, January 14, 1914, respectively.)
• Socialism in Ireland (The Harp, March, 1908 and Forward, August 16, 1913, respectively.)
• The Language Movement (The Workers’ Republic, October 1, 1898 and The Harp, April, 1908, respectively.)

Posthumously

• The Watchword of Labour (From The Legacy and Songs of Freedom, 1918)

To contribute to this section please contact:
Einde O’Callaghan (Administrator, James Connolly Internet Archive).

Writings by James Connolly are also available at the following sites:

CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts

Irish Republican Socialist Movement

James Connolly Society

Workers’ Web On-Line Reader: Connolly Collection