Today in Labor History December 28, 1918: Constance Markievicz, while detained in Holloway prison, became the first woman to be elected Member of Parliament (MP) to the British House of Commons. She was an Irish revolutionary, suffragist and socialist, who fought in the Easter Rising in 1916, when Irish republicans attempted to end British rule and establish an Irish Republic. Originally, they had sentenced her to death for her role in the Rising. However, they commuted her sentence to life imprisonment because she was a woman. During the Rising, she designed the Citizen Army uniform, composed its anthem, and fought in St Stephen's Green, where she shot a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #constancemarkievicz #ireland #independence #easterrising #prison #Revolution #feminism #socialism

“The Foggy Dew” by Canon Charles O’Neill, 1919, Dublin & Ireland (Performed by The Young Dubliners)

Context: The Foggy Dew is an Irish rebel song written around 1919 by Canon Charles O’Neill of County Antrim, using an older traditional melody. It was composed in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising and reflects growing nationalist opposition to Irish participation in World War I under British command. The song contrasts dying for the British Empire abroad with dying for Irish independence at home, capturing a major shift in Irish public sentiment during the revolutionary period.

Irish barricaded inside the General Post Office in Dublin during the Easter Rising in 1916

Context: Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, began quietly in Dublin, with British troops on routine guard duty as the First World War raged elsewhere. Few expected unrest, and places like the General Post Office seemed destined for another uneventful day.

That calm broke when the Kimmage Garrison, led by Captain George Plunkett, appeared in the city’s southwest, marching like ordinary soldiers. In a sudden theatrical turn, Plunkett commandeered a tram at gunpoint, loaded his 52 men aboard, and coolly requested “fifty-two tuppenny tickets to the city centre,” marking the opening act of the Easter Rising.

National Volunteers practise, Dublin ,1914

Context: In the years before 1916, the organisers of the Rising quietly recruited men who already had military experience, particularly Irish veterans of the British Army and disciplined members of the Irish Volunteers. Training was deliberately low-key: drilling took place openly under the guise of volunteer exercises, while more serious preparation was handled by trusted Irish Republican Brotherhood officers within the ranks. Rather than mass conscription, the rebellion relied on careful selection, secrecy, and ideological commitment, ensuring that those chosen were willing to act despite overwhelming odds.

Countess Markievicz died on 15 July 1927 in Dublin. A founding member of Fianna Éireann, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army, she took part in the Easter Rising in 1916. She was sentenced to death, commuted to life imprisonment on the grounds of her sex. She was the first woman elected to the UK House of Commons. She was elected Minister for Labour in the First Dáil, becoming the first female cabinet minister in Europe. 1/2

#Ireland #IrishHistory #CountessMarkievicz #EasterRising

"Michael Collins monument, Grand Parade Cork"

#michaelcollins #monument #statue #history #memory #memorykeeping #grandparade #grandparadecork #cork #corkcity #ireland #easterrising #easterrising1916 #sunnyday #photooftheday #onpassing #quickshot #urban #urbanart #city #street #streetphotography #ciudad #ciudadanas #shotoniphone #iphone12mini