Richard O'Carroll
Richard O'Carroll (29 February 1876 – 5 May 1916) was an Irish trade union activist and military officer and founding member of the Labour Party alongside James Connolly and many other trade unionists and fellow socialists in Clonmel, Ireland, in 1912.
Richard O'Carroll | |
|---|---|
| Dublin City Councilor | |
| In office 1907–1916 | |
| Constituency | Mansion House Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 February 1876 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 5 May 1916 (aged 40) Portobello Military Barracks, Dublin, Ireland |
| Resting place | Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland |
| Political party | Sinn Féin, Labour Party |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Irish Republican Brotherhood Irish Volunteers |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Commands | 2nd Battalion of the Irish Volunteers |
| Battles/wars | Dublin Lockout Easter Rising |
Career
O'Carroll was a bricklayer by trade and General Secretary of the Ancient Guild of Incorporated Brick and Stonelayers Trade Union from 1906 until his death in 1916. Having been active in the Union since early in his career, O'Carroll was instrumental in growing the Union outside Dublin for the first time in its history. By the time of his death the Union had local branches and a membership base across Ireland.[1]
From 1907 O'Carroll was elected to Dublin City Council as an Independent Councillor, albeit his role was likely a politically complex and delicate one as he was now a both a Trade Union leader and City Councillor. In 1912 he became a founding member of the "Dublin Labour Party", the political wing of the Irish Trades Union Congress and a precursor to the Labour Party. Previously he had been a member of Sinn Féin.
In 1911 O'Carroll became a Poor Law Guardian on the South Dublin Poor Law Union Board. Vehemently opposed to the use of child labour in the building trade and exploitation of children in trade generally, O'Carroll tabled a motion to the Board proposing that no Dublin City Council contracts be awarded to contractors who used child labour. O'Carroll openly and vociferously criticised the South Dublin Poor Law Union after this motion was defeated. In spite of this defeat, the Ancient Guild of Incorporated Brick and Stonelayers Trade Union went on to publicly declare opposition to the exploitation of children in the building trade, an important stance considering the frequent use of child labour in the construction industry at the time.
In 1912 O'Carroll succeeded James Larkin as representative of the Dublin Labour Party on Dublin City Council.[2] He continued in this role into 1913 and the period of tremendous industrial unrest during the Dublin lock-out. O'Carroll was a member of the conciliation board which played a key role in ending the lock-out, while also providing public support for the disenfranchised labourers who had been denied the right to unionise. A week after Bloody Sunday in 1913, during which O'Carroll had been badly beaten by police at a banned Trade Union meeting, he addressed a large crowd at Nelson's Pillar along with Larkin and other key leaders, urging the public to vote for Labour representation.
O'Carroll was re-elected to Dublin City Council on the Dublin Labour Party ticket again in 1915.[2]
1916 Easter Rising
O'Carroll was a member of the revolutionary Nationalist group Irish Republican Brotherhood as well as the Irish Volunteers. He participated in the Easter Rising of 1916, fighting in the Camden Street area as a lieutenant of 2nd Battalion under the command of Thomas MacDonagh.[2]
Death
Councillor Richard O'Carroll was the only serving and publicly-elected representative to be killed during the Easter Rising.[3]
On 26 April 1916, immediately after executing Dickson, MacIntyre and Francis Sheehy Skeffington at Portobello Barracks, Captain John Bowen Colthurst led a raid on suspected rebel hideouts in Camden Street. It was here that one of Colthurst's soldiers, Cadet Gerald Keatinge discovered O'Carroll, a lieutenant in the Irish Republican Brotherhood, in a room above Byrne's grocery shop. After O'Carroll had surrendered (to Keatinge, Lieutenant Wilson, and a rifleman), Colthurst ordered a sergeant (probably Sergeant Kelly) to take O'Carroll out into the street and shoot him. "So this poor terrified wretch was made to kneel down on the pavement and make his peace with God"[4] before Kelly shot him point-blank in the chest, in front of a crowd of onlookers and soldiers.
O'Carroll did not die immediately. Perhaps unnerved by the large audience, Colthurst, instead of administering a coup de grace, commandeered a passing bread van and had O'Carroll taken to Portobello Infirmary where he died nine days later.
In his April 26 report of the day's events, Colthurst claimed that O'Carroll had been attempting to escape when he was shot.[5] A few days later, the Portobello orderly room began an internal inquiry into Colthurst's actions, including O'Carroll's shooting. The soldier Lieutenant Gibbon, who knew Colthurst's claim was false, overheard him outside the orderly room, coaching a sergeant (presumably Kelly) to tell the investigating adjutant that 'The prisoner was trying to escape'.[6] When Colthurst noticed that he was being overheard, he moved away a few yards to be out of Gibbon's hearing. Colthurst obviously knew that the shooting of O'Carroll had been illegal [7] and he was now looking for an excuse to justify it.
After O'Carroll's murder, the military authorities attempted to erase his name from the historical record. Colthurst was court-martialled and found 'Guilty but Insane' for the Portobello murders, but during the two-day trial, there was no discussion of Colthurst's April 26 report and no mention of O'Carroll. Three months later, a royal commission examined the circumstances of Colthurst's murders at Portobello Barracks.[8] On the first day of the proceedings, Tim Healy, solicitor for Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, attempted to read into the record that part of Colthurst's report that dealt with O'Carroll. Sir John Simon, the commission chairman interrupted Healy and ruled that this evidence was outside the scope of the inquiry and so could not be heard.[9]
Legacy
O'Carroll was buried at Glasnevin cemetery, alongside many of Ireland's nationalist leaders. In 1935 the National Graves Association and the Bricklayer's Union created a momentum to him at his graveside.[2] O'Carroll Villas on Cuffe Street in Dublin takes his name. In 2016 a plaque dedicated to O'Carroll was unveiled at the location by the Mayor of Dublin.[10]
Richard O'Carroll Empowerment Bursary
The Labour Party has chosen to commemorate the life and legacy of O'Carroll by assisting young people in continuing their education by means of a bursary.[11] The competition for the bursary of €2,000 runs annually and began in 2016.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Hogan, John (20 June 2008). "Locked Out: the 1905 Dispute Between the AGIBSLTU and the Master Builders Association". Saothar. 1 (33): 6.
- ^ a b c d White, Lawrence William. "O'Carroll, Richard". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
- ^ Keatinge, Gerald. Some experiences of a Cadet during the Irish Rebellion of Easter week, 1916. Unpublished. Quoted in Neil Richardson. "According to their lights". Collins Press. 2015. p.178
- ^ The National Archives. PRO. WO 35/67/1. Colthurst reported O'Carroll's capture and shooting:"One other man (name unknown) was captured in Byrne's and as seditious (pro-German) literature was found on him and as he had arms in his possession he was made prisoner and placed in charge of Sergeant Kelly. Later Sergeant Kelly informed me that the man had attempted to escape but was fired upon, wounded and re-captured." Referring to the shooting of Dickson, MacIntyre and Sheehy Skeffington earlier in the report, Colthurst similarly justified their execution on the grounds that the prisoners might have escaped from the court yard of the Guard Room and that he knew them to be "dangerous characters", based on the correspondence captured on them.
- ^ Gibbon, Monk (1968). Inglorious soldier. Hutchinson. p. 62.
- ^ Just two hours previously, Colthurst had told his superior officer, Major Rosborough, that he might get into trouble for the shooting of the prisoners in Portobello and that he could even be hanged for it.
- ^ Royal Commission on the Arrest on 25th April, 1916 and subsequent treatment of Mr Francis Sheehy Skeffington, Mr Thomas Dickson and Mr Patrick James McIntyre (1916). Report of the Commission. HMSO.
- ^ "Skeffington Inquiry". Irish Times (24 August 1916).
- ^ "O'Carroll, Richard – City Councillor & Irish Volunteer".
- ^ "Leaving Cert students encouraged to apply for Empowerment bursary". The Clare Echo News. 24 June 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2020.