The catalpa rescue

April 1919 saw one of the most momentous events in the history of trade unions in Ireland. On the 11th of April British Military Authorities imposed Martial Law on Limerick City in response to the reaction, by the workers of Limerick, to the death of Robert Byrne, a leading trade union and republican activist in the city. As a result of the imposition of Martial Law, the Limerick United Trade and Labour council (LUTLC) called a general strike which received widespread support from the city’s workers. The general strike organised by the LUTLC became known as the Limerick Soviet. During the course of the next 11 days the Soviet Committee ran all the important aspects of the city, including transportation and food supply. The Limerick Soviet appealed for support from the Irish Labour Party and Trade Union Congress (ILPTUC). When representatives of the ILPTUC visited Limerick they gave the clear impression that a nationwide general strike would be called in support of the workers. But instead of calling a general strike, the ILPTUC proposed the evacuation of Limerick City by its workers and their families. This proposal was rejected out of hand by the soviet strike committee and, realising the soviet couldn’t be sustained indefinitely they called off the strike on April 25th. This essay will look at the events to the run up to and during the Limerick Soviet.

Cahill outlined how Robert Byrne had been on hunger strike in Limerick prison for three weeks when he was moved to the Limerick Union Infirmary during the third week in March 1919 (1). A few days later the local IRA movement attempted to rescue Byrne. During the course of the rescue a gun battle broke out between the IRA unit and the RIC members guarding Byrne, resulting in the death of an RIC constable and leaving Robert Byrne fatally wounded.

An estimated ten thousand people attended the removal of Byrne’s body to Saint John’s Cathedral in Limerick. The British Authorities saw this as an act of defiance