By Andy Spearman
Last week I had coffee with Joe Sheils, a man who has been working on behalf of the Drogheda community and to improve the lives of working people for eighty years.
Joe joined the Labour Party when he was just 14 years old and he is still an active member now at 94. He was due to receive a long service award at the Party’s Conference last November but was unable to attend because of Covid.
Joe was a student at the Christian Brothers in Sunday’s Gate when he joined the Labour Party and, having seen his potential, was being groomed by the Brothers for a job in the civil service.
But, when he heard that Irish Cement was looking for apprentices at their factory on the Boyne Road, Joe was down there and, cocky young fella that he was, asked to see the manager.
In those days entry to jobs depended largely on who you knew so Joe’s great uncle Joe Sheils who was the owner of Sheils Bakery wrote a letter of recommendation for young Joe and he got the start he was looking for.
One of the first things he did after being appointed was to join the IEETU union although union membership was expressly forbidden under the rules of apprenticeship at the time.
Soon he had managed to get the terms of the contract for apprentices changed and, although he was not even supposed to be in the union, he successfully negotiated on behalf of the apprentices that they be released for the schooling aspect of their apprenticeship and also got paid for the time they were there and their fees paid.
Throughout his 16 years working as a fitter at Irish Cement Joe remained a staunch Trade Union and Labour Party activist and had been elected to the position of Chair at the age of 20.
After leaving Cement, Joe began work in UCD as a technician but never lost his interest in left wing politics. His first election campaign was on behalf of Roddy Connolly who was James Connolly’s son and had been elected as TD for Louth in 1943, lost his seat in 1944, was re-elected in 1948 and lost it again in 1951.
Joe puts this yoyo pattern of Connolly’s tenure on the seat down to the fact that he was “far too aloof and didn’t do the necessary constituency work.”
With his Labour Party activism and his involvement in the Trades Council, which was very strong at the time, Joe was making quite a name for himself locally. He was nominated for the local elections but the petty rivalries between the members was not his style.
In his younger days, by virtue of his Labour activities, Joe was invited to join many other organisations and became very involved in the community and cultural life of Drogheda throughout the sixties, right through to the nineties and beyond.
He was an enthusiastic member of the External Committee of the Drogheda Brass Band which was formed to raise funds for a new set of instruments. He was subsequently a long time Committee member, both as Secretary & Chairman and founded the Drogheda School of Music and, although he was 40 years with the band he never played with them.
“I tried to learn the trombone but was asked to stop and concentrate on administration work!” Joe said.
“We had always rented the band room in George’s Street from Drogheda Corporation and when they introduced the Tenant Purchase Scheme we applied to purchase but they refused to include us.
“As Secretary, and with Michael Bell’s help, we changed their minds and subsequently bought the premises for IR£5,000 after rental discount was applied. The Band subsequently sold the clubrooms for €500,000 which enabled them to purchase a new band room at East Coast Park, Donore.”
It was while out canvassing for Michael Bell in Dundalk that Joe recognised the potential in a young lad called Ged Nash. During a break in canvassing, Joe saw Ged sitting on a garden wall talking to two young fellows and wondered what is going on. It turned out that he had convinced the two ladsto vote Labour.
These few paragraphs can only scratch the surface of the career of a man who has served his party, his colleagues and his town well over many years. Joe is retired now and lives with his wife Gillian at Millmount overlooking the town he loves so well. He has slowed down somewhat but the mind is as sharp as ever.
Thanking Joe for his long years of service, Deputy Ged Nash said: “…I first got to know Joe as a young activist when he chaired the Drogheda Branch of the Labour Party, a post he held with distinction for many years.
“From the first day I met Joe, he has been a constant source of advice, support, wisdom and encouragement. A tremendous mentor and friend, he has served the Labour Party with honour for his entire lifetime – from the election of Roddy Connolly (James Connolly’s son) to the present day. Nobody is more deserving of this lifetime service award from our Party.”
