Photograph
The Limerick Soviet (1919) was a general strike called in Limerick to protest at the imposition of martial law in the city by the British authorities following the the killing of an RIC Constable, Mark O’Brien when he tried to foil an attempt by the local brigade of the IRA to free IRA man Robert Byrne from a hospital where he was being treated after going on hunger strike. Under martial law, workers had to apply for passes to attend work, and British Army checkpoints to verify these passes were established at all entrance points to Limerick centre. In response to these measures, the Limerick Trades Council declared a general strike and for two weeks (14-26 April 1919) the strike committee nicknamed the Soviet ran the city. The Limerick Soviet took its name from the workers’ councils in the contemporary Soviet Union. The Soviet controlled prices, distributed food, organised the provision of essential services, published a newspaper and even printed its own paper money. The strike ended when the British ended their imposition of martial law. The image is of a British Army checkpoint in Limerick during the Soviet.