Born 1876; died Jan. 30, 1947. A figure in the Irish workers’ movement.
In 1909, Larkin was one of the organizers of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union. This union, under Larkin, led a strike of port workers (1911) and the Dublin general strike of 1913. Larkin belonged to the left wing of the Irish Labor Party (founded in 1912). While opposing the opportunist leadership of the party, Larkin at the same time held anarcho-syndicalist views on many issues. From 1914 to 1923 he was in the USA, where in 1919 he was sentenced to five years inprison for taking part in the workers’ movement. In 1923 he was released and deported to Ireland. In 1924 he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. However, in the late 1920’s he moved away from the revolutionary workers’ movement while continuing to participate in the activities of trade unions. From 1937 to 1947 he was a member of the Irish parliament.