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“If you remove the English Army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle., unless you set about the organization of the Socialist Republic your efforts will be in vain. England will still rule you. She would rule you through her capitalists, through her landlords, through her financiers, through the whole array of commercial and individualist institutions she has planted in this country and watered with the tears of our mothers and the blood of our martyrs.” ― James Connolly
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By Carlos “Carlito” Rovira
On Saint Patrick’s Day I do not recognize the Leprechaun or four-leaf clover as symbols of the Irish people’s culture, as the mainstream and corporate world likes to project. What merits recognition and salute is Ireland’s centuries-long history of struggle against British colonialism. We must honor Irish Republican revolutionaries, like the legendary James Connolly (June 5, 1868 – May 12, 1916), who sacrificed life and limb for the freedom of his people.
James Connolly lived adhering to Marxist doctrine. He attributed the plight of the Irish people to the exploitative nature of capitalist rulers. For many centuries, Ireland was brutally colonized by England, the forerunner of that global savage system.
James Connolly was widely known as a political thinker and leader of a national liberation movement. He was recognized by revolutionaries throughout the Twentieth Century, like Vladamir Lenin, Marcus Garvey, Rosa Luxemberg, Fidel Castro Ruz, Ernesto Che Guevara, and others. He was a labor organizer, trade union leader, journalist, historian, soldier, and military tactician. In addition, he was a devoted husband and father of six children.
While in the United States between 1905 to 1910, Connolly was a full-time organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the Wobblies. It was there when Connolly became acquainted and collaborated with another working-class legend Mary G. Harris, also from Ireland, who became known as Mother Jones.
The Wobblies were a militant component of the worker’s movement in the United States that resorted to direct action and armed forceful tactics whenever necessary. They were concentrated in the coal mines and railroad. The Wobblies’ motto was “One Big Union.” They envisioned the creation of a single union comprising of workers throughout the globe.
No one can ever dispute that James Connolly played a significant role in the achievements of the U.S. working-class movement with his militant leadership and actions, fighting for the eight-hour day, the weekend and workers right to organize unions.
Connolly was one of the founders of the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), an armed force of well-trained patriots, and predecessor of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He was also one of the leaders and combatants of the 1916 Easter Uprising in Dublin, a bloody event in Irish history that revealed to the world the criminality of England’s presence in Ireland.
It was in that battle where James Connolly was severely wounded. The British Army managed to apprehend the Irish leaders of the uprising and held them until it was decided what punitive action they would face. With no regard for Connolly’s physical condition of having been shot several times, the murderous British higher rank officers decided to have Connolly bound to a chair where he would be executed by firing squad. Many of Connolly’s comrades also captured met the same fate.
Despite the military failure of the Easter Uprising, it was a tremendous political victory. This event triggered a chain of resistance in India, Africa, and wherever else British imperialism reigned. The Irish moment of fury also inspired revolutionary movements in Russia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
In the United States, James Connolly and the Irish cause gained tremendous support from the Black community. At a massive public meeting in Harlem, New York City, on July 27, 1919, renowned Pan-Africanist leader Marcus Garvey defiantly expressed solidarity for the people of Ireland by praising the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) who courageously battled the British Army during the Easter Rising, in an attempt to free Ireland. Marcus Garvey was always an outspoken supporter of the Irish cause and condemned the brutality of British imperialism, a close U.S. ally.
In addition, Garvey’s UNIA’s gathering/meeting place in Harlem was renamed to “Liberty Hall” in honor of ICA and Sinn Fein, whose political headquarters in Dublin also had that name. Sinn Fein was the political entity of Ireland’s struggle for independence from British colonialism.
James Connolly collaborated and became friends with the man who would become Puerto Rico’s iconic revolutionary figure, Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos. This relationship came about due to Campos’ solidarity work for the Irish struggle while a student at Harvard University in Boston from 1913 to 1916. In many ways, James Connolly and the Irish freedom struggle are an important part of Puerto Rican history.
This experience was one of the factors that influenced and introduced Pedro Albizu Campos to revolutionary politics. Campos’ heartfelt revolutionary sincerity resulted in a developed trust with Connolly. The future Puerto Rican Nationalist fighter was eventually asked by Irish Republican leader Éamon de Valera to submit a written draft for what would become the Constitution of a free Irish Republic. This was an outstanding honor for Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos.
James Connolly will be remembered, not just as an Irish freedom fighter but also as an internationalist. His empathetic disposition for the suffering of the oppressed was consistent with being a Communist and having contempt for the capitalist system. His conception of a victorious struggle against British tyranny was part of his steeled belief that the Irish people will ultimately contribute to the final overthrow of imperialism.
LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTIONARY LEGACY OF JAMES CONNOLLY!
carlitoboricua 