'Cork birthplace of many who fought for dignity of a living wage': Labour rights plaque put up in Connolly Hall

A PLAQUE marking the connection between Cork Corporation and the Labour Rights movement during the 1920s has been unveiled in Connolly Hall.

As part of Cork City Council’s Centenaries Programme, Lord Mayor of Cork Deirdre Forde, along with Cork City Council Commemoration Committee and Siptu, hosted a reception to recognise the role that elected members of Cork Corporation and the Irish Transport and General Workers Union had in establishing the Cost-of-Living Commission dedicated to improving the conditions and pay of working people in the 1920s.

The Lord Mayor said: “I am honoured to unveil this plaque to acknowledge the historic relationship between Cork Corporation and the Irish Transport and General Workers Union.

“As Lord Mayor of Cork, it is special for me to honour the work of our martyred Lord Mayor, Tomás MacCurtain, and the role that he played in establishing the Cost-of-Living Commission, a role that highlights the man’s empathy for his citizens during that difficult time”.

During the reception, historian Alan Noonan spoke about the engagement and collaboration between the two organisations over one hundred years ago and how Robert Day and William Kenneally of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union, led the Cork harbour workers in their campaign for a living wage. Both men are noted to have set up the Cork Soviet and occupied the Customs House where they flew the red flag in honour of the committee.

Ahead of the event, Mr Noonan said: “I am delighted to take part in this reception and I am grateful to the Lord Mayor for hosting.

“Cork has been the birthplace of many who fought for the dignity of a living wage, from emigrant heroes such as Mary Harris, better known as Mother Jones, to those less well-known Cork’s Rebel past belonged not just to those who fought for Irish freedom during the War of Independence but also to workers who refused to transport munitions, or who struck in sympathy with the new nation, who fought for their own voice at the table of the emerging country.”