Come Here To Me!

Tomorrow at 3pm a brand new and very important plaque will be placed on 122 Emmet Road, Inchicore.

This is of course very near to number 125, the official home of Saint Patrick’s Athletic which sits in front of Richmond Park. Emmet Road is a street that means a lot to me and all saints, and is a street I’ve seen evolve and change in my years following Saint Patrick’s Athletic.

122, Emmet Hall, was the home of 1913 strike leader and Irish Citizen Army officer Michael Mallin, who was executed for his role in the 1916 Rising. It was also the branch headquarters of the Irish Transport Workers Union.

Inchicore has a great radical and hidden history, indeed Emmet Road alone has a fascinating story to tell. William Partridge, a leading trade unionist who fought in the 1916 rising for example, was an organiser with the Amalgamated Society of Engineers who would meet in the Workman’s Club on Emmet Road. Jim Larkin purchased the Emmet Hall in 1913, appointing William Patridge as manager of the premises.

The Irish Citizen Army had an active section in the area (Inchicore-Crumlin, No. 3) of which Michael Mallin was Commandant. Dr. Ann Matthew’s has compiled an incredibly useful Irish Citizen Army membership list, and among the names one finds residents of St. James Park, St. Mary’s Terrace, Park Street and other parts of Inchicore.

Michael Mallin was executed for his role in the rebellion of 1916. At his court-martial appearance, Police Constable John O’Connell of the DMP would state:

I know the prisoner Michael Mallin. There is a paper called “The Workers Republic” in which it has been stated th the prisoner is Chief of the Staff of the Citizen Army. I have known the prisoner about 9 or 10 months. I have seen marching with the Citizen Army and he has marched with James Connolly and the Countess Markievicz…..

Mallin was survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters. They continued to live at the premises on Emmet Road after his death.

There will be a number of speakers tomorrow including Jack O’Connor of Siptu, labour-historians, member of the Mallin family and local TDs including United Left Alliance TD Joan Collins and Sinn Féin TD Aengus O’Snodaigh from the left.Great credit should go to the Kilmainham and Inchicore Heritage Group for their efforts.