In 1998, trade union and labour movement activists from Kells, led by Tommy Grimes, proudly unveiled a permanent monument to Jim Connell — the author of The Red Flag — in Crossakiel, near his birthplace in County Meath. This tribute stands not only as a memorial to Connell’s legacy, but as a lasting dedication to the countless workers from rural Ireland who migrated to the industrial cities and helped ignite a wave of change known as New Unionism in the late Victorian era.
The monument honours their courage, their determination, and their impact. These workers — many from towns like Kells and villages like Crossakiel — formed the backbone of a growing labour force that demanded dignity and justice. Their victories were profound: London gas workers won the eight-hour day, dockworkers ended the tyranny of casual “zero-hour” labour, and new safety standards began to transform dangerous workplaces. These breakthroughs inspired a new spirit of resistance, and New Unionism spread like wildfire through the working classes, fuelled by the energy of Irish migrants and the solidarity they built in their adopted cities.
As the 20th century unfolded, the trade union and labour movement grew in strength, scope, and vision. Its achievements expanded into the political realm, advancing the rights of working people everywhere. Today, the global trade union movement represents over 200 million members in 163 countries — a living testament to more than a century of struggle and solidarity.
The roots of the Crossakiel monument trace back to 1996, when Tommy Grimes reached out to GMB London — the modern successor of the gas workers’ union — and to the Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council, whose founder, John Burns, was a leader of the dockers’ movement. Recognising the significance of honouring Connell in his homeland, they provided the bulk of the funding, enabling a Kells-based committee to bring the vision to life in Crossakiel.
The trade union movement has a proud and storied history. It has secured the right to organise, the right to associate, the right to speak freely — all hard-won liberties that are now the foundation of democratic society. Its core values remain unshaken: the rule of law, democracy, and economic and social justice.
The Red Flag Festival exists to celebrate and renew these values. It reminds us not only of how far we’ve come, but of the work still to do. It stands in the spirit of Jim Connell and the generations of working people who raised their voices — and their flags — for a fairer world.