TEACHERS
arriving at East Wall Wharf National School found a message chalked on the
door:
“Any boy caught going into school and not following other schoolboys’
examples will be killed by order Strike Strike Strike.
?
Pickets were
placed in the vicinity of the school, and boys paraded around carrying flags
with their demands.
These included
shorter hours, cheaper books and an end to canings. The strike continued for
three days, with pupils attempting to enter the school being branded as scabs
and pelted with stones and cabbage stalks. The age of those involved was
between eight and 13.
Don’t be alarmed
readers: this didn’t occur at the Northside school (now called St Joseph’s
Co-ed) last week – it occurred on September 13, 1911.
Last Tuesday,
East Wall residents and teachers marked the 100th anniversary of the famous
schoolboys’ strike that took place against a background of growing industrial
unrest in Dublin, which eventually led to the 1913 Lockout.
Local parish
priest Father Brady highlighted the effect of trade union militancy on the
boys.
“Strikes were in
the air at the time, and the residential quarters of the general strikers were
all around the school,
? he stated.
Local residents
Joe Mooney and Sarah Lundberg are currently working on a local history project,
including an examination of original school records.
Joe Mooney
describes the boys involved:
“Were the schoolboy strikers the Bash Street Kids
or were they children of the revolution? There was a touch of both about the
events of 1911.
“I believe their
demands were reasonable, and the methods were clearly influenced by the trade
union movement which was very active at that time on the docks.
?
Mr Mooney added:
“The co-ordination of the pickets was effective, and there is some evidence
that they tried to draw other schools into their actions. They seemed well versed
in the tactics of Larkinism.
?
Sarah Lundberg
also believes the demands of the strikers were reasonable all those years
ago.
“Schoolbooks
were expensive for working class parents, school buildings were uncomfortable
for long hours and excessive discipline is never welcomed by children,
? she
said.
“The boys were
very articulate and were able to explain their demands to a journalist who
approached them.
“There was
awareness that schoolbooks were free in England, and they were clear in their
desire to be treated fairly.
?
In looking at
the outcome of the strike, and in judging its value, both Joe and Sarah agree
that while publicly the boys’ actions were dismissed as mischief making,
records show that an investigation into the strike did take place.
“This raised
questions about the running of the school, so perhaps the boys were successful
to some degree,
? they said.