Royal county raises the flag as trade unionists honour socialist

The Socialist anthem, The Red Flag, came home to Crossakiel, Co Meath, yesterday.

More than 1,000 trade union officials from Ireland, Britain and Europe gathered in the town outside Kells to unveil a monument in memory of a local man, Jim Connell, who wrote the words that are still sung, even by Tony Blair, at the end of every British Labour Party conference.

The SIPTU band led the procession through the red-flag-bedecked main street of Crossakiel before the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr Peter Cassells (himself a Meath man), unveiled the monument to Connell.

It is dedicated to "the millions of Irish immigrants who fought for economic and social justice throughout the world and who helped build the trade union movement".

All six verses of the local man's song were then sung in a suitably poignant manner by Jimmy Kelly, brother of the late Luke. A large trade union presence was swelled by Mr Paul Kenny, regional secretary of the GMB union in London, Mr Des Geraghty from SIPTU and Co Meath labour activists.

There was only one parliamentary representative of the British Labour party present, the MP for Fulham, Mr Ian Coleman. He had hoped Mr Tony Blair might have made the "joyful occasion" but was otherwise engaged.

"At our last party conference I vividly remember Tony singing Jim Connell's song with much gusto," said Mr Coleman.

All six verses?

"Well, he certainly knew the first one, and the chorus."

Jim Connell was born near Crossakiel in 1852 and left to work as a docker in London when he was 18. A journalist, author, proud poacher and lifelong union activist, such was his stature in British society that he merited an inclusion in Who's Who.

He wrote the words of The Red Flag after attending a meeting called to support striking London dockers in 1889.

His song, apart from being adopted as official by the British Labour party, soon found its way around the world and was sung by the Band Miners of South Africa as they went to the gallows earlier this century.

It was also adopted by the International Workers of the World in the US (the Wobblies), and in 1945 it resounded around the House of Commons when 400 newly elected Labour MPs sang it after the election of that year.

A certain four-year-old, the daughter of Claire Keane, one of yesterday's organisers, proved herself word-perfect in every verse of the song, while accompanying Jimmy Kelly, and "new" Labour doesn't come any younger than that.