Rosanna "Rosie" Hackett (25 July 1893 – 4 May 1976) was an Irish revolutionary and trade union leader. She was a founder-member of the
Irish Women Workers' Union, and supported strikers during the
1913 Dublin Lockout
The Dublin lock-out was a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers that took place in Dublin, Ireland. The dispute, lasting from 26 August 1913 to 18 January 1914, is often viewed as the most severe and ...
. She later became a member of the
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army (), or ICA, was a paramilitary group first formed in Dublin to defend the picket lines and street demonstrations of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) against the police during the Great Dublin Lock ...
and was involved in the
1916 Easter Rising
The Easter Rising (), 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 aim of establishing an in ...
. In the 1970s, the
Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU) was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland.
History
The union was founded by James Larkin and James Fearon in January 1909 as a general union. Initially ...
awarded Hackett a gold medal for decades of service, and in 2014 a Dublin city
bridge was named in her memory.
Early and personal life
Rosie Hackett was born into a working-class family in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in 1893. Her father was John Hackett, a hairdresser, whilst her mother was Roseanna Dunne. According to the 1901 census, she was living with her widowed mother and five other family members in a tenement building on Bolton Street in the city centre. The available documents suggest that her father died when she was still very young. Hackett joined the
Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU) was a trade union representing workers, initially mainly labourers, in Ireland.
History
The union was founded by James Larkin and James Fearon in January 1909 as a general union. Initially ...
(ITGWU) when it was established in 1909 by
Jim Larkin
James Larkin (28 January 1874 – 30 January 1947), sometimes known as Jim Larkin or Big Jim, was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. He was one of the founders of the Irish Labour Party along with James Connolly and Willia ...
, which marked the beginning of her lifelong activity in
trade unionism
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 ...
. By 1911 she was living with her family in a cottage on Old Abbey Street, and her mother had remarried to Patrick Gray. That same year she co-founded the
Irish Women Workers' Union (IWWU) with
Delia Larkin
Delia Larkin (27 February 1878 – 26 October 1949) was a trade union organiser, journalist and actress, born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England. She was influenced by the activities of her brother, James Larkin, to move to Ireland, and ...
. Hackett never married and lived in
Fairview with her brother Tommy until her death in 1976.
Career
Rosie Hackett fought for many decades for the rights of workers. Through her affiliation and work with the Irish Transport and General Workers Union (ITGWU), the Irish Women Worker's Union (IWWU) and the
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army (), or ICA, was a paramilitary group first formed in Dublin to defend the picket lines and street demonstrations of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) against the police during the Great Dublin Lock ...
, she helped carve out and secure modern-day working conditions.
Hackett's career began as a packer in a paper store, she then became a messenger for
Jacob's biscuits. At that time the working conditions in the factory were poor.
Irish labour movement (1911–14)
On 22 August 1911 Hackett helped organise the withdrawal of women's labour in Jacob's factory to support their male colleagues who were already on strike. With the women's help, the men secured better working conditions and a pay rise. Two weeks later, at the age of eighteen, Hackett co-founded the Irish Women Worker's Union (IWWU) with Delia Larkin. During the
1913 Lockout Hackett helped mobilise the Jacob's workers to come out in solidarity with other workers, they, in turn, were locked out by their own employers. This did not stop Rosie Hackett's work to help others, and she along with several of her IWWU colleagues set up soup kitchens in
Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall (), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest building in the countr ...
to help feed the strikers. However, in 1914 her Jacob's employers sacked her over her role in the Lockout.
Easter Rising 1916
Hackett began work as a clerk in the printshop in
Liberty Hall
Liberty Hall (), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest building in the countr ...
, and it was here she became involved with the Irish Citizen Army. Hackett was involved in preparations for the 1916 Rising, working in a union shop, helping with printers, and making first-aid kits and knap-sacks.

If other members of the ITGWU were looking for
James Connolly
James Connolly (; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was a Scottish people, Scottish-born Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader, executed for his part in the Easter Rising, 1916 Easter Rising against British rule i ...
, she aided in bringing them to him.
Hackett "''worked as canvasser and traveller and was called on to carry out many confidential jobs''".
She took up first aid training provided by Dr.
Kathleen Lynn for six months before the rising and attended night marches organised by the
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army (), or ICA, was a paramilitary group first formed in Dublin to defend the picket lines and street demonstrations of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) against the police during the Great Dublin Lock ...
.
According to her own account, Hackett said "''A week before Easter, I took part in the ceremony of hoisting the challenge flag over Hall''".
Like other girls and women who were involved in the Rising, she carried messages and guns, and prepared uniforms and food for
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...
members "''and sometimes risky work''".
Three weeks before the Easter Rising, the
Royal Irish Constabulary
The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...
raided a shop where Hackett was working. She was alone when they came and they were looking for a copy of "Gael". She said to them "wait till I get the head"
and she called for Connolly. The police were stopped by Connolly and
Helena Molony
Helena Mary Molony (15 January 1883 – 29 January 1967) was a prominent Irish republican, feminist and labour activist. She fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trades Union Congress.
Early ...
who were armed, and Hackett immediately hid everything, so that when the police came back they could not get anything. Because of that event, the police knew that they were armed and they had to double up work, so Rosie was in Liberty Hall all the time.
1916 Proclamation

Hackett was part of the group that printed the first proclamation. Through her experience of working in the printshop she helped to print the
Proclamation of the Irish Republic
The Proclamation of the Republic (), also known as the 1916 Proclamation or the Easter Proclamation, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. ...
. She was in the printing room in Liberty Hall as a trusted messenger in 1916 when the Proclamation was printed and it was the first time she was allowed in. However, she knew about their technical difficulties: “they hadn't much type, (...) the type was short and they had to patch it up a bit (...) and they worked at night".
She remembers that three men were there when she entered the room and one came over to her, shook her hand and congratulated her. It made her very proud; especially that no one else was allowed to get in.
She subsequently told family members of handing it still wet to
James Connolly
James Connolly (; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was a Scottish people, Scottish-born Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader, executed for his part in the Easter Rising, 1916 Easter Rising against British rule i ...
before it was read out by
Padraic Pearse on the steps of the
GPO.
Irish Citizen Army
Hackett was an active member of the Irish Citizen Army. On Easter Tuesday, under the command of
Constance Markievicz
Constance Georgine Markievicz ( ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, and socialist who was the first woman ...
, Hackett took part in the 1916 Rising and was located in the area of
St Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green () is a garden square and public park located in the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. The current landscape of the park was designed by William Sheppard. It was officially re-opened to the public on Tuesday, 27 July 1880 by ...
and the
Royal College of Surgeons
The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...
. This position was heavily attacked with guns, short of first-aid and "looked like a death trap".
However, after moving from an initially overlooked position in Stephen's Green, it was one of the last positions to surrender.
In the Royal College, Rosie Hackett as a first-aid practitioner was allowed entry to the lecture room sanctioned to the Red Cross only.
Another first-aider, Aider Nora O'Daily, later reported that during those days: “I have a very kind remembrance of Little Rosie Hackett of the Citizen Army, always cheerful and always willing; to see her face about the place was a tonic itself”.
After surrendering, the rebels were taken to Dublin Castle. Hackett was imprisoned in
Kilmainham Jail for ten days.
1917
In 1917, on the anniversary of Connolly's death, Hackett together with Helena Molony,
Jinny Shanahan and Brigid Davis printed and hung a poster detailing the anniversary, "James Connolly, Murdered May 12th, 1916." After the first poster displayed by the ITGWU members was taken down by the police, they worked to ensure that their poster would stay on Liberty Hall much longer – by staying on top of the roof to defend it. They barricaded the door using a ton of coal and nails on the windows. The poster was hanging there until 6 pm and thousands of people could see it. Hackett has reported that, "it took four hundred policemen to take four women"
and only to avoid embarrassment in the public eye was the reason why they were not arrested. She described their revolutionist feelings about this action: “We enjoyed it at the time – all the trouble they were put to.”
Trade union worker (1917–1970)
After the Rising, Hackett returned to the IWWU which, at its strongest, organised over 70,000 women. After the 1945 laundry strike, they won an extra week of paid holidays for the workers. She attended many important labour union events such as the opening of the new Liberty Hall on 2 May 1965 and Arbour Hill memorial services.
Until her retirement, she ran the trade union shops resulting in over 5 decades of active
participation in the Irish trades union movement work to improve conditions for Irish workers.
In 1970 she was awarded a gold medal for fifty years of ITGWU membership.
Legacy

In the 1970s, Walter McFarlane (then branch secretary of the ITGWU) awarded an honorary badge for Hackett's sixty years contribution to the union.
Hackett was never married and lived in Fairview with her brother Tommy until her death in 1976. She was buried at St Paul's plot, in
Glasnevin cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum.
Location
The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...
next to her mother Roseanna née Dunne and stepfather Patrick Gray. At her burial, she was honoured with a military salute and her coffin was covered with the Irish flag.
She died on 4 July 1976.
In May 2014, the
Rosie Hackett Bridge
The Rosie Hackett Bridge ( Irish: ''Droichead Róise Haicéid'') is a road and tram bridge in Dublin, Ireland, which opened on 20 May 2014. Spanning the River Liffey and joining Marlborough Street to Hawkins Street, it is used solely by public ...
was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin. The Hackett Bridge Campaign had begun in October 2012 – led by three women Angelina Cox (an active member of Labour Youth), Jeni Gartland and Lisa Connell.
The final shortlist of contending names for the new bridge (and their
awarded voting points) had been Rosie Hackett (192 points),
Kay Mills (176),
Willie Bermingham (167),
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
(92),
Frank Duff (80 points).
In April 2015 a plaque was unveiled on Foley Street by the North Inner City Folklore Project to commemorate the women of the Irish Citizen Army. The plaque lists Rosie Hackett as a member of the St.Stephens Green/College of Surgeons garrison during the 1916 Easter Rising.
References
External links
''Naming a Bridge'', read by Catherine Ann Cullen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, Rosie
1892 births
1976 deaths
People from Fairview, Dublin
Trade unionists from Dublin (city)
People of the Easter Rising
Women in war in Ireland