This evocative statue by Oisin Kelly is larger than life, as was Jim Larkin himself. It shows the big man with his huge hands raised, encouraging workers to rise up, a message he pressed during his time as a union leader.
Born in 1874, Larkin founded the Irish Transport and General Worker's Union, catering for unskilled workers who had to cope with miserable working and living conditions. He is fondly remembered for his rhetoric during the 1913 lockout, when employers attempted to force their staff to leave the union.
His speeches about the evils of poverty and injustice during this time helped to lay the foundation for the eventual establishment of universal workers' rights. read more