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1 Shilling - Limerick Soviet
| Issuer | Limerick Trades and Labour Council |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Vouchers |
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| Obverse description | Plain typeset voucher within a simple ruled border, with "GENERAL STRIKE" at top and "AGAINST BRITISH MILITARISM" at foot. The denomination "1/-" appears at left and right flanking "ONE SHILLING" in bold letterpress. "LIMERICK. April 1919" runs vertically on both side margins. An oval Mechanic's Institute, Limerick rubber stamp is applied at lower left, with two manuscript signatures for Chairman and Treasurer below the issuer text. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse is unprinted, showing only the bleed-through impression of the obverse letterpress text and manuscript signatures visible through the thin paper stock. |
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| Comments |
For a fortnight in April 1919, the Limerick Trades and Labour Council declared a general strike in response to British military restrictions imposed after the shooting of a local trade unionist. They called it the Limerick Soviet, ran their own food distribution, fixed prices, and issued their own currency — this shilling being part of that emergency scrip — because the British military had cordoned off the city and normal commerce had collapsed.
The notes were printed locally and redeemable against goods controlled by the strike committee. The Soviet collapsed after two weeks when national union leadership withdrew support, and most scrip was redeemed or destroyed. Survivors are correspondingly rare.