Lockout 1911
There was much commemoration throughout 2013 of the centenary of the 1913 Dublin Lockout. But it had been preceded by another lockout which has almost been lost sight of. In 1911 when the ITGWU came to Wexford, workers who joined it were locked out of their workplaces. This lockout principally involved three Wexford foundries, the largest of which was the Pierce Iron Foundry.
That foundry was situated at the corner of King St. and Mill Road, and not only is it now long closed, but the site has been redeveloped. There are two redevelopments here, side by side. The foundry site (green in map) and the old malt house (red). The malthouse has been tastefully developed into a residential block but the foundry has been replaced by one of the gods of modern mass consumption.
This mangled piece is now all that remains from the original foundry, seen here against the backdrop of the malt store redevelopment.
Looking the other way, the foundry site, now the location of Wexford Tesco.
The Wexford Lockout has not, however, slipped into obscurity and there is a more fitting memorial to remember it by. It's own centenary is celebrated at The Faythe, a traditional rallying place in the town over the decades. It is stark and to the point.
The gate is firmly locked.
The gate is firmly locked.
The illustration above it depicts the workers along with their trades and products.
And the plaque pays tribute to the workers and all their supporters, not just in Wexford, but throughout Ireland and abroad.
The monument was unveiled by President Michael D Higgins on 12 May 2012 and his speech has loads of background on the lockout itself and its significance.
It should be remembered that, unlike the Dublin Lockout which followed it in 1913, the 1911 Wexford Lockout was very much a success.
The monument was unveiled by President Michael D Higgins on 12 May 2012 and his speech has loads of background on the lockout itself and its significance.
It should be remembered that, unlike the Dublin Lockout which followed it in 1913, the 1911 Wexford Lockout was very much a success.
And finally, a small product from the foundry, a roadside shore not far from the site.
Further reading:
The Pierces
The wider lockout story
John Gibbons has a chapter "Freedom's Pioneers: The Wexford Lockout" in the book on the 1913 Lockout "One Hundred Years Later: the legacy of the lockout" Ed. Mary Muldowney, Seven Towers, 2013.
Kieran S. Roche has an essay "The Forgotten Labour Struggle: The 1911 Wexford Lockout" in the special edition of History Ireland, July/August 2013 devoted to the Dublin Lockout.
Further reading:
The Pierces
The wider lockout story
John Gibbons has a chapter "Freedom's Pioneers: The Wexford Lockout" in the book on the 1913 Lockout "One Hundred Years Later: the legacy of the lockout" Ed. Mary Muldowney, Seven Towers, 2013.
Kieran S. Roche has an essay "The Forgotten Labour Struggle: The 1911 Wexford Lockout" in the special edition of History Ireland, July/August 2013 devoted to the Dublin Lockout.