Owen Hynes (1875 – February 1970) 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 ( ...

leader. Hynes was a member of the Ancient Guild of Incorporated Brick and Stone Layers. He came to prominence as a member of the trade union committee during the 1913

Dublin lock-out The Dublin lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers that took place in Ireland's capital and largest city, Dublin. The dispute, lasting from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, is often vie ...

. The union's secretary, Dick Carroll, was shot in 1916 for his part in the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

, and Hynes succeeded him. A less public figure than many of his contemporaries, he devoted much of his time to committee work, in negotiations, with the

Irish Trades Union Congress The Irish Trades Union Congress (ITUC) was a union federation covering the island of Ireland. History Until 1894, representatives of Irish trade unions attended the British Trades Union Congress (TUC). However, many felt that they had little imp ...

, and at the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

."Obituary: Mr Owen Hynes", ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', 14 February 1970 Hynes was active in the Labour Party, and was elected to the Dublin Poor Law Union in 1920, a year in which

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

won the vast majority of seats. He stood in the 1925 Seanad election, but took only 1,273 votes and was eliminated on the eighteenth of sixty-five counts. He served on the

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

for some years until he lost his seat in 1933. At the

1943 Irish general election The 1943 Irish general election to the 11th Dáil was held on Wednesday, 23 June, having been called on 31 May by proclamation of President Douglas Hyde on the advice of Taoiseach Éamon de Valera. It took place in 34 parliamentary constituenc ...

, he stood in Dublin South, but did not come close to election. He hoped to unite all the Irish building workers in a single union. In support of this aim, he was one of the leading founders of the

Congress of Irish Unions The Congress of Irish Unions was a confederation of trade unions in Ireland. History Congress was one of the two governing bodies that emerged after the split in the Irish trade union body the Irish Trades Union Congress in 1945. The split develo ...

,"Irish T.U. Council Breaks With Irish T. U. Congress", ''

'', 22 March 1945 and soon after formed the Building Workers' Irish Union. The president of Congress in 1949, he retired in about 1955. In his spare time, Hynes studied Gaelic culture and the Irish language.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hynes, Owen 1875 births 1970 deaths Trade unionists from Dublin (city) Labour Party (Ireland) politicians Members of Dublin City Council