Irish History / Bound Photographic and Document Volume

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How James Connolly was Butchered Forward Eleanor Oct. 18, 1916 Moving Story by his Daughter The manner in which James Connolly was foully done to death by the British Government after the Dublin Rebellion in May, 1916, was told in a very moving speech by his daughter, Miss Norah Connolly, at a concert held in the St. Andrew's Hall on Tuesday, 7th October, for the purpose of raising funds for the establishment of a James Connolly Memorial Labour College in Dublin. Captain J. R. White presided over a fairly large audience, and was accompanied on the platform by Mrs. Connolly. Captain White said at one time he had not always agreed with James Connolly, but at that time his knowledge of the implacable class war was not complete. He now realised, however, that Connolly's insistence on economic determination was the strongest part of his faith. (Applause.) The problem they had to face was neither political nor economic, but a foul moral cancer whose only cure was the knife. (Applause.) The safest way of bringing about the change in a peaceful way, and in order to avert bloodshed, was to prepare for it now. (Loud applause.) Miss Norah Connolly, who received an enthusiastic ovation, spoke under the stress of great emotion. She said it was in Glasgow and Edinburgh that her father had spent the early struggles of his youth. It was here he learned what Capitalism meant to the workers, but it was also here he realised what Socialism meant to the workers. (Applause.) It was in Scotland that he had given his first work for the Labour movement, and had helped to lay the foundation of the great Labour movement that was in the country to-day. It was appropriate, therefore, that she should ask the workers here to do what they could to help in the establishment of the Connolly Memorial Labour College. She asked them to help, not only because James Connolly had lived and worked in Glasgow, but also because he had lived and died for the workers. (Loud applause.) After the Rebellion in 1916, when her father was lying a prisoner, the first organ to cry out for his blood was that of William Martin Murphy. (Hisses and cries of Shame!") Her father lay in bed unable to move, for one of his legs had been shattered in two places and he had been shot through the arm, and it was while he was in this condition that an informal Court-martial was held around his bed, he himself having to be propped up with pillows. (Hoots and hisses.) She saw him after the Court-martial, when he told her that he felt quite weak but that he was not suffering much. The militarists were determined, however, on getting him out of the way, and at two o'clock in the morning they came with an ambulance and took him to Kilmainham Jail, where they strapped him to a chair so that they might shoot him. (Loud groans and hisses.) They had not done that because he was James Connolly, but because Capitalism was not safe while a man of his type was alive—(applause)—and because they were foolish enough to believe…