Interest grows for James Connolly Book Launch
national |
history and heritage |
press release 
Tuesday April 18, 2006 16:43
by Kevin Wingfield - SWP
PO Box 1648 Dublin 8
01-872 2682
The Official launch of a short book on "James Connolly, Revolutionary Socialist" by Kieran Allen is attracting much interest
NEW BOOKLET ON JAMES CONNOLLY
Kieran Allen, the Head of Sociology in UCD, has written a new booklet on James Connolly.
Entitled, James Connolly: Revolutionary Socialist it seeks to uncover the Marxist politics which motivated Connolly throughout his life.
In a statement, Kieran Allen, said,
'Now the commemoration for the 1916 rising has been deemed a great success, we might consider what some of the leaders of the rising stood for.
'Traditionally James Connolly has been presented as a mainstream Irish nationalist who had some social concerns. At times, it almost appeared that he was simply a radical activist from the Vincent De Paul.
'This image of Connolly began soon after his death when Countess Markievicz wrote that 'his was the socialism of James Connolly and no one else'. It was continued by his own union, the ITGWU, who suppressed some of his more radical writings in the 1950s. And it has been taken up again by the modern day political elite who claim that the 1916 rebellion led to a culture of 'social inclusion' in the Celtic Tiger.
The reality, however, is very different. James Connolly was a profound Marxist who advocated 'the confiscation of capitalist property' and described parliamentary democracy as only a limited for of democracy which allowed one to choose one's masters.
'It is a source of great embarrassment to the modern day political establishment that a revolutionary socialist played a key role in the birth of their state and this has led to great dishonesty about his thought.
'This booklet tries to uncover the real legacy of James Connolly and argues that his ideas are profoundly relevant for today. .
The new booklet on James Connolly will be publicly launched at a public meeting on James Connolly and 1916 which will take place in Cassidy's Hotel on April 21st at 8pm. Speaking alongside Kieran Allen will be Lorcan Collins and Conor Kostick, the joint authors of a book on the 1916 rebellion, and Helena McNeill.
OTHER MEETINGS IN THIS TOUR
Galway: Tuesday 18th April: 8pm Western Hotel, Prospect Hill
Waterford: Thursday 20th April: ATGWU Hall, Keyser St 8pm
Cork: Thursday 20th April: Spailpin Fanach South Main St, 8pm
Dublin: Friday 21st April: Cassidy’s Hotel 8pm
Tralee: Saturday 22nd April: Grand Hotel 3pm
Derry: Saturday 22nd April: Sandino’s Bar (upstairs) 3pm
Athlone: Tuesday 25th April: Genoa Café 8pm
Comments (19 of 19)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19It's a propaganda pamphlet not a book.
Might be good an all that, but it's still just an SWP propaganda pamphlet.
What could Kieran Allen tell us that ,that great man Desmond C Greaves has not told us,like Allens old book there will not be one new thing about Connolly in it. We will be told Connolly should have lived long enught to join the S.W.P. The next one to write a book on Connolly will be Manus O Riordan,spant all this youth condeming Connolly,now is a born again Connollyite,was at the Sinn Fein book launch on Connollys works,some of the old Sinners told him to fuck off,rigth they were too.
Are unions permitted to organise in Cassidy's hotel?
i dont no, it would be very important to get them unionised, why dnt u write a letter 2 one of the union ask them whats happening. Or are u just searching for an excuse to Swipper bash.
Im watching you swipper watcher.
Your just not watching hard enough
"was at the Sinn Fein book launch on Connollys works,some of the old Sinners told him to fuck off,rigth they were too."
One person remonstrated with Manus O'Riordan telling him he should leave and had no right to be there. Other Sinn Féin members and activists, including Cllr Larry O'Toole who was the main speaker on the night, pointed out that the launch was open to the public and that this was no place for abusing people regardless of political differences.
I think someone apologised to O'Riordan later on.
The headline states that the launch is gathering interest. The article itself is just a press release, which is fine, but in no way substantiates the claim of the headline. Is there any evidence to back up the claim of the headline and the first line?
Judging by these comments, interest is growing with each comment!
Whoever invited Manus O ' Riordan to the launch should have asked Eoghan harris and Ruth Dudley-Edwards along as well . Connolly said Irish partition would lead to a carnival of reaction - three clowns would have been better than one.
So Larry O Toole said the lanch was open to the public,well may be it was,but O Riordan was asked to go there by O Toole. O Riordan and his B,and I.C.O. got Connor Cruise O Brien to in act section 31 of the Brodcasting Act,that put OToole and all other Republican/Socialists of the airways,for years,what has Larry got to say about that. Also the B and I.C.O. campaigned against the H Block demands ,some of the things they said can not be forgiven,well I can not forgive them ,then my name is not Larry OToole.So Larry good look to to you and your new friend,this old one is going some place else. As for you Jonah ,I do not know what age you are,but stop kiss arssing and think for yourself.
Noal Murphy from thr IWU was the main speaker on the night,the man who had a go at ORiordan was about his own age and knew what he was on a about,young activist who were not around at the time,have to respect him for that. What ORiordan was up to 25 years is just unthinkable now.
Excuse ma ignorance but what book was Sinn Fein launching on Connolly? His collected writings? Didn't the CP publish them aoens ago via the Stalinist dictatorship in East Germany that they loved so much?
What book ya all on about?
SWP launch gathering increasing interest? Ho ho ho! Nice try.
Yes ,it does seem a bit of an odd combination - Larry O'Toole the main speaker at an SWP book(let) launch with Manus O'Riordan in attendance . The BICO crowd did a job on the stickies in the eighties ; they provided left cover to justify the ditching of republican principals . And we all know where that led to. I wonder what plans they have for the provos.
Jonah , what I can't work out is this . Seeing as it was a public launch in a public house, why was it thought neccessary to apologize to Manus for the remonstrator ? Who did the apologizing and on on whose behalf ?
I think if you re-read the original posting you may find that Larry isnt sharing a platform with the SWP, they may be falling over themselves in their rush to embrace Fianna Fail and government, but even they wouldnt lower themselves to accomodate SWP booklitter sales.
You have to draw the line somewhere,
I hope anyhows,
with wespect,
Masters Voice
another useful point by our ever present masters voice. Though as the above comment demonstrates he/she is sartin to loose their touch a little. MVs sectarianism just dosent have the witty charm it use to, he/she has therefore become obsolete, and will now have to get a new job, possibly writing useless comments on another site.
yours
Masters Voice Watcher
Anyone who is even slightly interested in a long-dead Scottish dinosaur who advocated 'blood sacrifice' and peddled a totally discredited ideology really needs to change their medication.
(btw, I would have thought theat the ideology of 'blood-sacrifice' would have been rather discredited by its association with a certain party led by a gent with a toothbrush moustache!)
Trotters, I'm afraid Connolly advocated no such thing. When Pearse spoke of "blood sacrifice" as a noble thing (very much in line with the mainstream of European thought at the time) Connolly retorted that anyone who spoke in such terms was a "blithering idiot". Well said by the "dinosaur" whose writings will continue to inspire people for a long time to come...
Who was it boasting to the House of Commons over the water that Protestants and Catholics would be shedding their blood together in the one glorious cause?
Oh yes, it was the pacifist democrat, John Redmond.
In fairness 'blithering idiot' John Redmond never claimed to be a pacifist but he was undoubtedly a democrat. The democratically elected leader of Nationalist Ireland at the time in fact, and a highly succesful one too at that point, having got Home Rule onto the statute books after generations of campaigning.
The carnage that the so called 'Great War' descended into, the remorseless tide of telegrams back to widows and orphans, the very real threat of conscription and the pitiless response to the easter rising by the british government all contributed to his downfall and subsequent airbrushing from our history.
Trotters is saying all the things the BandI.C.O. were saying 20 years ago,were the Sinners now.
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