TO recognise the journey made by Alex Maskey MLA since his spell as a Belfast deep-sea docker, members of the Shared History Interpretive Project (SHIP) visited the Speakers office where they presented Alex with two special SHIP keepsakes.
Long before Alex was first schooled as a docker he would have been aware of the work involved as he was following in the footsteps of many relatives including his father Alex, his uncles Billy and Jim and his grandfather Billy who were long time deep-sea dockers and proud members of the Irish Transport & General Workers Union (ITGWU).
In 1911, the Belfast Branch of ITGWU had its foundation in Sailortown. In August of that year James Connolly opened a Belfast Branch Office at 120 Corporation Street, with great support from other union members including Winifred Carney, James Larkin, Billy McMullen and John Quinn.
Connolly worked as Branch Secretary in that office for three years and spent much time fighting the cause for deep-sea dockers. Connolly’s association with Belfast dockers was as intense as their loyalty to him. As part of his duties as secretary he signed countless individual ITGWU membership cards. Some of these original membership cards are still in the possession of family members.
In April 2019, SHIP erected a commemorative plaque at the Corporation Street site, one of a series of events leading up to the Good Friday opening of the new Áras Uí Chonghaile (James Connolly Visitor Centre) in West Belfast.
In 1966, the social committee of the Dockers branch of the ITGWU, unfurled a banner dedicated to James Connolly to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Easter Rising. This banner was proudly carried at many marches in Belfast and beyond, with Alex’s father, his uncles and his grandfather taking their turns to carry the banner.
This banner was the lead banner in the parade from Conway Mill to the Áras Uí Chonghaile for the formal opening by the Irish President Michael D Higgins. Later that year it was a special honour that the SHIP banner became an addition to the many exhibits in the Centre. Alex and his brother Paul ( Belfast West MP) performed the formalities carrying the banner into the Connolly Centre where it is prominently displayed.
Brian Quinn, from SHIP said: "SHIP felt that Alex’s path to Speaker should be recognised in context of the strong connections between ourselves, the ITGWU, Belfast docks and the wider Maskey family.
"We were pleased to present Alex with a miniature SHIP Connolly banner and a bog oak piece skilfully hand crafted by Gerry McAtamney a former fellow Belfast dock worker.
"Gerry sculpted the bog oak to represent a ship and a wharf with images of Connolly, Carney, Larkin, McMullen and Quinn inserted into the piece. The carving is complimented with a Winifred Carney coin that SHIP launched in St Patrick’s School, Donegall Street where Winifred attended and returned to teach in.
"The coin was launched on Winifred’s 140th birthdate. When Gerry was asked for the bill to cover the bog oak carving, his sharp reply was 'Tell Alex the bosun paid for it.'
"Best wishes for the future to Alex from SHIP."
