Jim Kemmy: A giant of Limerick politics remembered

LIMERICK'S Jim Kemmy was remembered at a commemorative event in the city last weekend.

To celebrate the life and legacy of Jim Kemmy, several events were organised from September 23 to September 25 by the Remember Jim Committee.

On Friday, September 23, Professor Eoin Devereux, from UL’s Centre for the Study of Popular Music and Popular Culture, gave a talk about Jim’s life.

During the opening event, a capacity crowd heard Eoin Devereux talk about Jim Kemmy’s life, labour, and legacy. He examined Kemmy’s formative influences, his activism in politics and trade unionism, but also his pioneering role as a local historian.

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Professor Devereux stressed Jim’s radicalism, describing his life-long socialism as progressive and pragmatic.

“One of Jim Kemmy’s most noteworthy talents was his capacity to go against the grain of traditional orthodoxies and engage with more critical perspectives on how society was organised and whose interests were being served,” noted Eoin Devereux.

“Over a decade, The Limerick Socialist publication stood as a strong counterpoint to the establishment view of Limerick. It bravely questioned the sacred cows who occupied positions of power in Limerick and Ireland.”

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Professor Devereux noted that as an editor, writer, and curator, Kemmy also devoted stamina to promote an interest in Limerick’s complex history.

“The hallmark of his local history project was its truly democratic nature. It was governed by an inclusive approach which was always mindful of the need to include the voices and experiences of the poor, the marginalized, the working class.”

To conclude, Professor Devereux stated to speak of Kemmy’s legacy in the singular was a disservice to his memory. “For me, his life-long commitment to a just, socialist, humanitarian view of the world is what stands out most of all. Jim’s bearing witness for the common man and woman, for calling out exploitation and for always imagining and proposing a better world, for all, through collective action is what strikes me most.”