JOHN LYNCH worked for many years in the Civil Service and then returned to education in 1987 with an ILO studentship at Ruskin College, Oxford. During his two years there he studied for a Diploma in History. In 1989 he moved to Belfast and took a degree in Irish Studies at Queen's University. Subsequently he was employed as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Economic and Social History, teaching mainly Irish and Japanese history. He was awarded a doctorate in 1996 and now teaches Irish Migration Studies.

• Acknowledgements Introduction A Tale of Three Cities: Bristol, Belfast and Dublin Trade Union Growth: a Comparison The Labour Movement: a Wider View The Belfast Shipyard Workers: a Study in Organised Labour Industrial Relations Working Class or Classes? Living Conditions and Problems Sectarianism War and Rebellion Conclusion Notes on Chapters Bibliography Index