William X. O'Brien

William X. O'Brien (23 January 1881 – 31 October 1968) was a politician and trade unionist in Ireland.[1]

This article is about the Labour activist. He should not be confused with his contemporary, the nationalist MP William O'Brien. For similarly named people, see William O'Brien (disambiguation).

William X. O'Brien
O'Brien, c. 1930
Teachta Dála
In office July 1937 – May 1938
In office June 1927 – August 1927
Constituency	Tipperary
In office June 1922 – August 1923
Constituency	Dublin South
Personal details
Born	(1881-01-23)23 January 1881 Clonakilty, Ireland
Died	31 October 1968(1968-10-31) (aged 87)
Nationality	Irish
Political party	National Labour Party (1944–46) Labour Party (1912–44)
Occupation	Trade union leader

Born in Clonakilty, County Cork, and christened 'John William',[2] O'Brien moved with his family to Dublin in 1897, and quickly became involved in the Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP).[3] O'Brien is described as "a very significant figure in the ISRP" by the historian of the ISRP, David Lynch.[4] He was a member of the Socialist Party of Ireland, serving on its executive.[5]

A close friend and associate of James Connolly,[3] O'Brien helped establish the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union in 1909, and was instrumental in the Dublin Lock-out strike in 1913.[6]

A member of the Irish Neutrality League, and Anti-Conscription Committee, during the World War I, O'Brien was interned on several occasions by the Dublin Castle government.[7] During one of these instances, he stood in the 1920 Stockport by-election, but was refused a release to campaign in it.

With the formation of the Irish Free State, O'Brien was elected as Teachta Dála (TD) for Dublin South at the 1922 general election, and again for Tipperary in June 1927 and again in 1937.[8]

An important figure in the Labour Party in Ireland in its formative days, O'Brien resisted James Larkin's attempt to regain control of the Party on release from prison. Taking Larkin to court over his occupation of ITGWU headquarters, the Larkin-O'Brien feud resulted in a split within the labour and trade union movements, and the formation of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.[9]

Ideologically, O'Brien was a Reformist and Democratic Socialist, believing that Irish socialists should bring about socialism via the ballot box, not through violence or direct action. Despite his Easter Rising links, he consistently avoided endorsing militancy as a tool of the labour movement in Ireland. This viewpoint contrasted strongly to the beliefs of Jim Larkin and was partially why the two could not agree to co-operate. Only once did O'Brien seriously consider militancy; during the dawn of the Irish Civil War and fearing the worst, O'Brien and other Labour leaders turned towards the Irish Citizen Army, proposing the concept of a "Workers' Army", of which the ICA would form the nucleus. However, this idea was rebuffed. O'Brien was once asked if was disappointed that the Irish electorate hadn't used their new parliamentary democracy to push for a stronger socialist presence, O'Brien reaffirmed his view by stating:

It is not for me or anybody else to determine how the people should exercise their democratic and constitutional rights. The main thing is that they should have these rights. How they use them is for them to decide.[10]

In 1930, O'Brien sought to have Leon Trotsky granted asylum in Ireland, but the head of the Free State government, W. T. Cosgrave, refused to allow it.[11]

Active in politics and the trade union movement into his 60s, O'Brien retired in 1946 and died on 31 October 1968.

References

1. "William O'Brien". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
2. William O'Brien 1881-1968: Socialist, Republican, Dáil Deputy, Editor, and Trade Union Leader, Thomas J. Morrissey, Four Courts Press, 2007, pg 1
3. Morrissey SJ, Thomas J. (2007). William O'Brien, 1881–1968 - Socialist, republican, Dáil deputy, editor and trade union leader. Four Courts Press. ISBN 978-1-84682-067-0.
4. Lynch, David (2005). Radical Politics in Modern Ireland A History of the Irish Socialist Republican Party 1896-1904. Irish Academic Press Ltd. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-7165-3356-6.
5. Barberis et al, Encyclopedia of British and Irish Political Organizations, p.207-208, 251
6. Yeates, Padraig (2001). Lockout: Dublin 1913. Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-23890-8.
7. "The Irish Citizen Army - history". Blackened.net. Archived from the original on 16 April 1998.
8. "William O'Brien". ElectionsIreland.org. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
9. "History, An Overview". SIPTU.ie. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006.
10. Mitchell, A. (2019). William O'Brien, 1881-1968, and the Irish Labour Movement. Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review, [online] 60(239/240), pp.311-331. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30088733 [Accessed 12 Jan. 2019].
11. Keogh, Dermot (1998). Jews in Twentieth-century Ireland: Refugees, Anti-semitism and the Holocaust. Cork University Press. ISBN 978-1-85918-150-8.

Political offices
Preceded by Michael O'Lehane	President of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1913	Succeeded by James Larkin
Preceded by Thomas MacPartlin	President of the Dublin Trades Council 1914	Succeeded by Thomas Farren
Preceded by John Simmons	Secretary of the Dublin Trades Council 1913–1918	Succeeded by Thomas Farren
Preceded by Thomas MacPartlin	President of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1918	Succeeded by Thomas Cassidy
Preceded by P. T. Daly	General Secretary of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1918–1920	Succeeded by Thomas Johnson
Preceded by Thomas Johnson	Treasurer of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1921–1924	Succeeded by Archie Heron
Preceded by James Larkin	General Secretary of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union 1924–1946	Succeeded by Thomas Kennedy?
Preceded by Luke Duffy	President of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1925	Succeeded by Denis Cullen
Preceded by Archie Heron	Treasurer of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1926–1929	Succeeded by Denis Cullen
Preceded by Sam Kyle	President of the Irish Trades Union Congress 1941	Succeeded by Michael Colgan