Letters from Tomis

My Socialist Hall of Fame

During this chaotic era of vile rhetoric and manipulative tactics from our so-called bourgeois leaders, I am invigorated by the opportunity to reflect on Socialists, Revolutionaries, Philosophers, Guerrilla Leaders, Partisans, and Critical Theory titans, champions, and martyrs who paved the way for us—my own audacious “Socialism’s Hall of Fame.” These are my heroes and fore-bearers. Not all are perfect, or even fully admirable, but all contributed in some way to our future–either as icons to emulate, or as warnings to avoid in the future.

Introduction

James Connolly (1868–1916) was a seminal figure in both the Irish and international socialist movements, a theorist, labor leader, revolutionary, and martyr. His legacy bridges the struggles for Irish independence and the global working-class movement, placing him among the most influential Marxist thinkers and organizers of the early twentieth century. Connolly’s thought was distinguished by his synthesis of Marxism and Irish republicanism, his strategic insights into labor organization, and his pioneering role in the 1916 Easter Rising, for which he paid with his life. This biography explores Connolly’s life, theory, activism, and enduring significance.

Early Life and Political Awakening

James Connolly was born on June 5, 1868, in the slums of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents from County Monaghan. Growing up in poverty, Connolly left school at age eleven and worked various menial jobs before enlisting in the British Army at fourteen, serving for nearly seven years, including a posting in Ireland. His early exposure to the harsh realities of working-class life in both Scotland and Ireland shaped his radical consciousness and fierce anti-imperialism.

Returning to Edinburgh in the late 1880s, Connolly became active in socialist politics, joining the Social Democratic Federation and later the Scottish Socialist Federation. He married Lillie Reynolds, an Irishwoman, in 1890. Connolly’s immersion in the British labor movement, alongside the influence of Marxist literature, laid the foundations for his later activism and theoretical writings.

Marxism, Trade Unionism, and Irish Socialism

In 1896, Connolly moved to Dublin, founding the Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP) to advocate for a fusion of socialism and republican nationalism. Connolly rejected the idea that national liberation and socialism were mutually exclusive; instead, he insisted that Ireland’s freedom could only be achieved through the self-emancipation of its working class. In pamphlets such as Erin’s Hope (1897) and Socialism and Nationalism (1897), Connolly developed an anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist critique of British rule and the Irish bourgeoisie, emphasizing the need for working-class leadership in the struggle for national liberation.

Connolly’s commitment to labor organization was deepened during his years in the United States (1903–1910), where he became a key figure in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and edited the radical newspaper The Harp. Influenced by American syndicalism and the direct-action tactics of the IWW, Connolly’s vision of socialism came to center more on industrial unionism and militant labor tactics. His American experience broadened his internationalism and sharpened his analysis of capitalism and colonialism.

Return to Ireland and the Struggle for Workers’ Power

Upon his return to Ireland in 1910, Connolly became a prominent organizer with Jim Larkin in the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union (ITGWU). Together, they fought for industrial unionism in Ireland, notably during the 1913 Dublin Lockout—a pivotal, if ultimately defeated, confrontation between labor and capital. Connolly’s role as a strategist and propagandist was central; he edited The Workers’ Republic and authored Labour in Irish History (1910), a magisterial materialist analysis of Ireland’s past that argued the Irish working class was “the only secure foundation for national freedom.”

The Lockout convinced Connolly that only a revolutionary transformation could secure justice for workers. He co-founded the Irish Citizen Army (ICA), initially a workers’ defense corps, which became the world’s first armed socialist militia. Connolly’s later writings increasingly stressed the inseparability of the national and social questions: any national independence not rooted in workers’ power, he warned, would merely replace one elite with another.

The Easter Rising and Martyrdom

In 1916, Connolly allied the ICA with the Irish Volunteers for the Easter Rising against British rule. As Commandant of the Dublin forces and a key member of the Provisional Government, Connolly’s leadership was pivotal in both planning and executing the insurrection. He saw the Rising not only as a blow against imperialism but as the opening of a potential European-wide socialist revolution, inspired by the upheavals of World War I.

The Rising was crushed after a week of fierce fighting. Connolly, gravely wounded, was court-martialed and executed by firing squad on May 12, 1916, his death—he was shot while tied to a chair—galvanizing support for the Irish cause and becoming an enduring symbol of martyrdom for labor and independence struggles worldwide.

Thought and Legacy

Connolly’s intellectual legacy is marked by his pioneering efforts to synthesize Marxism with the specificities of Irish history and colonialism. Unlike many socialists of his day, he recognized the revolutionary potential of peasant and urban working classes in the periphery of Europe. Connolly’s anti-sectarianism, insistence on women’s liberation (he championed women’s suffrage and the role of women workers), and internationalism distinguish his politics as profoundly democratic and inclusive.

Connolly’s writings, especially Labour in Irish History and The Re-Conquest of Ireland (1915), remain foundational Marxist texts, notable for their historical materialism and lucid prose. His activism prefigured later national liberation and anti-colonial movements that drew on socialist principles. In the 20th century, Connolly was claimed as an inspiration by Irish republicans, labor radicals, and internationalist movements alike.

Historiographically, Connolly has been variously interpreted as a Marxist, syndicalist, nationalist, and pragmatic revolutionary. His fusion of socialism and republicanism—and his insistence on the working class as both the agent of national liberation and social transformation—remains relevant for contemporary struggles against capitalism and imperialism.

Conclusion

James Connolly stands as one of the most important figures in both the Irish national and international socialist traditions. His life was a testimony to the possibility—and necessity—of linking the struggle for national liberation with the socialist transformation of society. As both a martyr and a theorist, Connolly’s example continues to inspire movements for justice, equality, and self-determination.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

• Connolly, James. Labour in Irish History. Dublin: Maunsel & Co., 1910. [Also reprinted in many editions.]

• Connolly, James. The Re-Conquest of Ireland. Dublin: The Irish Worker, 1915.

• Connolly, James. Selected Writings. Edited by Peter Berresford Ellis. London: Pluto Press, 1973.

• Connolly, James. Socialism and Nationalism. Dublin: New Books Publications, 1980.

Biographies and Critical Studies

• Greaves, C. Desmond. The Life and Times of James Connolly. New York: Monthly Review Press, 1972. [ISBN: 0850361979]

• Nevin, Donal. James Connolly: A Full Life. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan, 2005. [ISBN: 0717139821]

• Fox, R.M. James Connolly: The Forerunner. London: Martin Lawrence, 1932.

• Kearney, Richard. The Irish Mind: Exploring Intellectual Traditions. Dublin: Wolfhound Press, 1985. (Contains a chapter on Connolly.)

• Foster, R.F. Modern Ireland: 1600–1972. London: Penguin, 1988.

Scholarly Articles

• Yeates, Padraig. “James Connolly: Revolutionary and Socialist.” History Ireland, Vol. 24, No. 2 (2016): 24–28.

• Morgan, Austen. “Connolly, James (1868–1916)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. [doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/32430]

• O’Connor Lysaght, D.R. “James Connolly and the Irish Working Class.” Saothar, Vol. 1