Big Jim Larkin

Book excerpt: James Larkin remains the central figure in the history, public history, and mythology of Irish Labour. A powerful orator and brilliant agitator, in popular consciousness Big Jim is forever linked with the 1913 Lockout and the formation of the modern Irish Labour movement. Since 1909 he has been the hero of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, the Workers' Union of Ireland, and SIPTU. For all workers, and all employers, his name is synonymous with militancy and solidarity. His controversial career also saw him start a civil war in Dublin trade unionism, and vilified as a wrecker by former comrades. This is the firs full-length biography about his life. It goes beyond the public figure to explore the hidden side of a very private person who hated people knowing his business and kept his ambitions and personal demons behind a veil of secrecy. -- Publisher description.