James Connolly
19 The Mall, Sligo, F91 K52C
James Connolly, seen in this mural, was a revolutionary socialist and trade union leader, as well as a leader in the Easter Rising. Connolly co-founded the Irish Labour party in 1912 and assisted in organizing the Irish Transport and General Workers Union. When industrialists instituted a lockout against union members in 1913, Connolly became commander of the new Citizens Army, set up to defend workers from the brutal suppression they faced. In January 1916 James Connolly agreed to support the Irish Republican Brotherhood’s plan for a rising, along with his 200-strong citizen army. Their combined forces captured the GPO on Easter Monday and proclaimed the Irish Republic. However, the rising was brutally crushed, and James Connolly was sentenced to death. The subsequent execution of Connoly and several other revolutionary leaders outraged the Irish people, and eventually led to the war of Independence in 1919.