 In 1919, he moved to Cumberland to become full-time secretary of the Cumberland and Lancashire Blastfurnacemen's Association, and in 1921, he was elected to Cumberland County Council.The Cumberland and Lancashire Blastfurnacemen were affiliated to the National Union of Blastfurnacemen, Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades (NUB), and Callighan was elected as its president in 1939.Later in the year, the post of general secretary of the NUB became available, and Callighan was elected.