A James Connolly Reader

2016 is the 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising

In 2002, Connolly was named one of the 100 Greatest Britons in history.

There are several major buildings named for Connolly in Ireland and America

James Connolly (1868-1916), a labor organizer of international importance and leading Marxist theorist. A champion for the working class, Connolly helped found the Socialist Labour Party in Great Britain. He lectured in the United States in 1902 and immigrated here the following year. Connolly went on to play an important role in the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World. He also founded the Irish Socialist Foundation in New York in 1907.

Connolly’s actions and writing are inspired by a vision of an Ireland and world free from empire, war, and exploitation. Reading Connolly today is must to understand Irish history but his ideas remain relevant in an era of inequality and injustice.