John Doherty 1798 - 1854
Father of Socialism

There is a plaque at Buncrana's Stone Jug dedicated to the 'Father of Socialism' John Doherty who was born in the seaside town in 1798.

It is a plain sort of memorial but its simplicity in stone, would no doubt have pleased the great man, who dedicated his life to the poor and working class. John Doherty was a trade unionist, radical, factory reformer, worker educationalist, agitator and republican, who began his working life at the age of 10 in Tullyarvan Mill, then a cotton mill.

Generally recognised as one of the most important figures in the early working class movement, he was regarded by many leading radicals and literary figures as 'the chief working-class leader of the time'.

The stone monument was erected in his home town in July 2000, nearly 150 years after his death. During a seminar following the unveiling of the monument, it was then felt something more resonant and reflective of Doherty's work and achievements was necessary. As a result, the first John Doherty School was held on 12th April 2002. The organisers wanted the first event to be historical, to raise awareness of who John Doherty was and highlight his role as a social reformer.

Among the participants at the three-day event in April 2002 were Ireland's leading trade unionists including David Begg of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, SIPTU general president, Des Geraghty and Eamonn McCann of Derry Trades Council, who was of the organisers of the seminar.

The gathering of the local Inishowen Gateway Hotel included talks and workshops by local and national historians, socialists and academics and explored Doherty's life and work as well as his invaluable legacy to labour relations today. After stints working as a cotton spinner at Tullyarvan Cotton Mill, Trim and Larne, where the seeds of his radicalism were sown, Doherty emigrated to England, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Manchester Cotton Spinners' Union going on to inspire people nationwide. One of his greatest achievements include the securing of a shorter working day for all, as well as his relentless efforts to stop the exploration of child workers.

He became active in Henry 'Orator' Hunt's Great Northern Radical Union and was instrumental in the repeal of the Combination Acts in 1824 which made it a criminal offence to be a trade union member.

Despite his militancy, however, he was a nonviolent activist who respected law and order and who opposed the extreme measures taken by people such as the machine wrecking Luddites. SIPTU College historian, Francis Devine, who addressed the first John Doherty School, said Doherty was a 'giant' among his peers.

Despite being a native Irish speaker, he became an eminent publisher and writer in the English language, editing some of the most important journals and papers of his time. His anti-capitalist teachings preceded the work of Karl Marx, who went on to become the most famous socialist of all time.

In the words of Irish freedom fighter and trade unionist, James Connolly, Doherty's aim was "to organise the working class and to teach them to act on their own initiative".

The great man's life and work can be best summed up from his own paper 'Voice of the People' in August 27, 1831. "I want to better the conditions of the people, to have them stand erect and look boldly in the faces of their masters and to tell them: "We are not your slaves; we are your equals. We are one side of the bargain, you are only the other. We give you an equivalent for what we get from you and you are therefore entitled to, at least, equal respect".

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