James Baird (1878–1948) was a

trade unionist 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 Employee ben ...

and politician in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, born at County Tyrone in 1878 according to the 1901 census, Ireland. A

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and

Rechabite The Rechabites () are a biblical clan, the descendants of Rechab through Jehonadab. Biblical sources The Rechabites belonged to the Kenites, who accompanied the Israelites into the Holy Land and dwelt among them. The main body of the Kenites dwel ...

, and an opponent of the

partition of Ireland The partition of Ireland ( ga, críochdheighilt na hÉireann) was the process by which the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland divided Ireland into two self-governing polities: Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. I ...

, Baird joined the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

. He was also active in the Boilermakers' Society, and was prominent in the Belfast strike, 1919. In 1920, he was elected to

Belfast Corporation Belfast City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Bhéal Feirste) is the local authority with responsibility for part of the city of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The Council serves an estimated population of (), the l ...

, representing the

Belfast Labour Party The Belfast Labour Party was a political party in Belfast, Ireland from 1892 until 1924. It was founded in 1892 by a conference of Belfast Independent Labour Party, Independent Labour activists and trade unionists. Labour ran the Ulster Unionis ...

. Michael Farrell, ''Northern Ireland: The Orange State'' Baird was expelled from the Harland and Wolff

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

where he worked on account of his politics, alongside labour activists

Sam Kyle Sam Kyle (1884 – 1962) was an Irish trade unionist and politician. Born into a Protestant family at 57 Riga Street in Belfast on 7 November 1884, he was the son of Samuel Kyle, a draper, and Jane Wilson. Kyle joined the Independent Labour Party ...

, John Hanna and Charles McKay, and a substantial number of

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Paddy Devlin Patrick Joseph "Paddy" Devlin (8 March 1925 – 15 August 1999) was an Irish socialist, labour and civil rights activist and writer. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), a former Stormont MP, and a member of ...

, ''Yes, We Have No Bananas: Outdoor Relief in Belfast, 1920-39'' He stood for the Belfast Labour Party in Belfast South at the

1921 Northern Ireland general election The 1921 Northern Ireland general election was held on Tuesday, 24 May 1921. It was the first election to the Parliament of Northern Ireland. Ulster Unionist Party members won a two-thirds majority of votes cast and more than three-quarters of ...

. After working for the National Sailors' and Firemen's Union, Baird joined the ITGWU as an organizer, was active in the Waterford farm strike of 1923, and polled well as Labour candidate for Waterford. In 1927, he with his family emigrated to Queensland, Australia and died in Brisbane in 1948. His eldest daughter Nora was a distinguished pianist and awarded an OBE in 1980 for her services to music in schools; and his youngest daughter Helene Jones was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community music, particularly through the Rockhampton Chamber Music Society, choirs and arts organisations in 1996.

References

*Emmet O'Connor, A Labour History of Ireland, 1824-2000 (Dublin, 2011). {{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, James 1878 births 1948 deaths Independent Labour Party parliamentary candidates Trade unionists from Belfast Protestant Irish nationalists Members of Belfast City Council Irish boilermakers Emigrants from Northern Ireland to Australia Trade unionists from County Tyrone Labour Party (Ireland) candidates in Dáil elections