Michael O'Lehane (1873–1920) was an Irish

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

Biography

Born near

Macroom Macroom (; ) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork (city), Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, O'Lehane studied at the

North Monastery The North Monastery ( Irish: ''An Mhainistir Thuaidh''), commonly known as The Mon, is a co-educational education campus comprising Scoil Mhuire Fatima Primary School, North Monastery Co-educational Secondary and Gaelcholáiste Mhuire AG, loca ...

before completing an apprenticeship as a

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period ...

. He moved to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in 1898 to work for Cannocks, where he contracted

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

and narrowly escaped death. Following his recovery, he moved to Dublin to work at Arnotts. While there, he founded the Irish Drapers' Assistants Association (IDAA).Dermot Keogh, "Michael O'Lehane and the organisation of Linen Drapers Assistants", ''Saothar'', vol.3, pp.33-43 In 1902, O'Lehane travelled around Ireland, recruiting members for the IDAA, with a branch being set up in

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

and over the next few years in other towns and cities. The union focused its campaigns on reducing working hours, creating a half-day holiday per week, and setting up agreements to cover overtime pay.Michael O'Lehane
, ''Irish Labour History Society'' The IDAA attracted particular attention for recruiting women. By 1914, 1,400 of its 4,000 members were women. The IDAA proved successful, and O'Lehane was elected to other positions in the union movement: President of Dublin Trades Council in 1909, and President of 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 i ...

in 1912. He was also elected to 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 si ...

in 1907, representing

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. History Origins Kilmainham's foundation dates ...

as an independent labour member.Joseph V. O'Brien, ''Dear, Dirty Dublin: A City in Distress, 1899-1916'', p.290

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olehane, Michael 1873 births 1920 deaths Trade unionists from County Cork Members of Dublin City Council People from Macroom Irish trade union leaders