James Baird (trade unionist)

James Baird was a trade unionist and politician in Northern Ireland.

An opponent of the partition of Ireland, Baird joined the Independent Labour Party. He was also active in the Boilermakers' Society, and was prominent in the Belfast strike, 1919. In 1920, he was elected to Belfast Corporation, representing the Belfast Labour Party.[1]

Baird was expelled from the shipyard where he worked on account of his politics, alongside labour activists Sam Kyle, John Hanna and Charles McKay, and a substantial number of Roman Catholics.[2] He stood for the Independent Labour Party in Belfast South at the Northern Ireland general election, 1921.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Michael Farrell, Northern Ireland: The Orange State
  2. ^ Paddy Devlin, Yes, We Have No Bananas: Outdoor Relief in Belfast, 1920-39