Fintan Kennedy (died 24 March 1984) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist. The son of Thomas Kennedy, a prominent trade unionist, Kennedy joined the

Irish Transport and General Workers' Union The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland. History The union was founded by James Larkin in January 1909 as a general union. Initially drawing its memb ...

in 1934, rising to serve as General Secretary of the union from 1959, then as General President from 1969.Irish Transport and General Workers Union
, Irish Labour History Museum During his secretaryship, membership of the union grew steadily. In 1966, Kennedy served as President of the

Irish Congress of Trade Unions The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...

,Donal Nevin, ''Trade union century'', p.439 while he served as Treasurer from 1968. He was elected to the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel ( ga, An Rolla Oibreachais) is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. ...

of the

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

in 1969 and representing the Labour Party. He retired from all his positions in the labour movement in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Fintan Year of birth missing 1984 deaths Trade unionists from County Dublin Labour Party (Ireland) senators Members of the 12th Seanad Members of the 13th Seanad Members of the 14th Seanad Presidents of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Labour Panel senators