James Connolly

Connolly founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party (ISRP), the first Marxist political party in Ireland. The party advocated for an independent Irish republic based on socialist principles.

Connolly published 'Labour in Irish History', a book arguing that Irish history was a class struggle and that national independence was inseparable from workers' emancipation. It became a key text of Irish socialist republicanism.

Connolly led the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union during the Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute. The lockout involved 20,000 workers and lasted five months, ending in defeat for the union but raising class consciousness.

Connolly co-founded the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) as a workers' militia to protect strikers during the Dublin Lockout. The ICA later became a paramilitary force dedicated to an independent Irish republic.

Connolly commanded the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising, leading a force at the General Post Office. He was one of the key military strategists of the rebellion.

Connolly, wounded in the ankle during the Rising, was executed by firing squad tied to a chair in Kilmainham Gaol. His execution, due to his injuries, became a symbol of British brutality and a rallying point for republicanism.