Welcome to the latest news where we feature news from Ireland and around the world connected to the story of Mother Jones or issues associated with the spirit of Mother Jones.

We celebrate labour and trade union history and heritage, and we examine the roles played by many forgotten yet inspirational people in social and public history in Ireland and elsewhere in the world. We remember inspirational people everywhere who fight for social justice and human rights. 

News 2024

• The 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Update
• Oscar Winner Cillian Murphy … The United Mineworkers Union of America and the Cork Connections
• The Stardust Inquest Decision: “Unlawful Killing”
• ‘Is This What They Fought For?: Women and Independent Ireland’
• ‘Everyone should have a Home’
• The Historical Provision of Water in Cork City (1760-1900)
• Mick Treacy, RIP.
• Capitalist growth as a death cult: the need for an economics of life, labour and land
• Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Union, to speak at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2024
• The ‘All for Ireland League’ and the ‘Irish Land & Labour Association’ – a uniquely Cork movement
• Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Dan Boyle to Launch the 2024 Festival
• Memorable Launch to Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2024
• Margaret Goulding Buckley…an undaunted spirit who fought for women in a country “that treated them like half-wits!”
• Big Jim Larkin: His Life, Times and Ideology
• Hear ‘Mother Jones’ by Cork Singer-Songwriter Martin Leahy
• Shandon Sweets
• Richard T Cooke – a Tribute
• The 2025 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Dates Announced
• Pray for the Dead and fight like Hell for the Living 

News 2023

• Stardust Tragedy … still waiting for justice…forty-two years on!
• Announcement: Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Dates for 2023
• Cork Artists were urged to participate in the design of the “We Shall Rise” Mother Jones Monument in Chicago
• Love Your Mother
• Liz Gillis, author and historian, to speak at the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival
• Salt of the Earth
• The Banshee’s Kiss: William O’Brien MP and the All For Ireland League in Cork 1910-1918
• A Feminist Walking Tour of Cork City
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Programme 2023
• Spectacular Launch of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2023
• Author and Rewilder Eoghan Daltun to Speak at 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
• What did the Brehon Laws say about the Environment?
• “Pathways to Freedom: The Life and Times of Margaret Buckley and the Conlon Sisters.”
• Cooking for Freedom and the Power of Sharing Food
• Mary Crilly Speaks about Forty Years of the Cork Sexual Violence Centre.
• Mick Lynch, RMT General Secretary, Speaks at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2023.
• Spirit of Mother Jones Award for 2023 to Mick Lynch and the RMT
• Mick Lynch Receives the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Award
• The Cork Ukrainian Choir Sings with the Lord Mayor of Cork
• Everyone Should Have a Home.
• New Wall Mural of Mother Jones in Shandon
• The dates for the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival have been announced

News 2022

• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Announcement for 2022
• Mother Jones and Her Children is now available here to view online
• Historian Luke Dineen to speak at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2022
• Jimmy Crowley and Eve Telford To Appear at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2022
• What would our health system be like now had Dr Noël Browne’s Mother and Child Scheme been successfully implemented?
• Songs of Woody Guthrie for the 2022 festival
• Liam Cahill R.I.P.
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Programme
• The 2022 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival has been Launched
• Endurance and Engagement. Cork City Women in the 1920s
• They Never Came Home!
• A Trade Union Vision for a New and United Ireland
• ‘Dark Times, Dark Deeds, Long Shadows:  the experiences of some women in the Revolutionary Years’  
• New Documentary: Ordinary Women in Extraordinary Times
• Launch of Feminism Walking Tour Website, Followed by a Walk
• A Visit to Cork’s Beautiful North Cathedral
• Don O’Leary of the Cork Life Centre to receive the 2022 Spirit of Mother Jones Award
• A Message from Charlie Bird to Antoinette Keegan for the Spirit of Mother Jones Award 2020
• In Memory of John
• Feminist Walking Tour of Cork Launched at Festival
• Mother Jones 92nd Anniversary.

News 2021

• Mother Jones visits UCC
• Manus O’Riordan – RIP
• 2021 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Announcement
• Story of Mother Jones: Available on motherjonescork.com
• Dr Sean Pettit – An Extraordinary Teacher.
• Muriel MacSwiney … An Unlikely Revolutionary!
• Mari Steed: “You have a right to know your identity”.
• A documented Childrens’ Burial Ground erased

News 2020

• The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2020 on Cork Community TV
• The Remarkable Wallace Sisters: Documentary on One – The Little Shop of Secrets by Bill Murphy
• Covid-19: President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, quotes Mother Jones in a speech about front-line workers
• John Jefferies – Cork Mother Jones Committee – RIP
• Postponement Announcement: The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2020 (May 2020)

News 2019

• Preliminary announcement for Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2020
• March of the Mill Children re-enacted in Shandon, Cork
• New Mother Jones badge for the 2019 festival
• Best wishes to the Shandon Street Festival 2019
• Cork’s Lord Mayor Praises Spirit of Mother Jones Festival
• Helen O’Donovan – Friend of The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival – R.I.P.
• Impressive Line-Up for Limerick Soviet 100
• Cork’s new footbridge not to be named after Mother Jones
• Announcing “The Song for Mother Jones” competition.

News 2018

• Cork honours Mother Jones’ “American Birthday”
• Press launch for Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School
• The 2018 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Brochure is now available
• Mother Jones talk in Dublin’s GPO as part of the “Rebel Irish Women” series
• Mother Jones featured in the “Rebel Irish Women” talk in Dublin’s GPO
• Fabulous window display at Nolan’s of Shandon Street
• New “Spirit of Mother Jones” badge
• NAMA-Land: The Inside Story Of Ireland’s Property Sell-Off And The Creation Of A New Elite– Frank Connolly’s latest book
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2018 – Information for Visitors
• Shandon is Ready for Mother Jones!
• Great start to The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2018
• Vote for Cork’s new bridge to be renamed Mother Jones Bridge!
• Dates for your Diary! The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2019
• Mother Jones – “She fought like a lion” Sarah Webb and Lauren O’Neill authors of Blazing a Trail…Irishwomen Who Changed the World

News 2017

• Mother Jones featured in the Irish Times series on the Irish diaspora
• 300 years of Cork Migration to North America – Lecture
• Mother Jones on Irish Radio Documentary
• Shandon Area Spruced Up, Flowers for Mother Jones
• The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Brochure published
• Mother Jones – a tourist attraction in Cork
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival & Summer School has started

News 2016

• The late Tommy Grimes, Kells, Founder of the Jim Connell Festival
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival & Summer School 2016 Launch
• Video Review of the First Four Years of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival
• Mrs Catherine McGuinness – indisposed and unable to attend Mother Jones Festival
• Mother Jones wows visitors and locals alike at Cork tourist office
• A Tribute to the late Dr. Séan Pettit – “The Final Curtain”
• Richard T. Cooke’s Eulogy at the Funeral of Dr. Sean Pettit
• Dates for Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2017 Announced
• Season’s Greetings – Christmas 2016

News 2015

• Chris Mullin to speak at Cork Mother Jones Festival 2015
• Jimmy Crowley to appear at The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
• A New Documentary, The Limerick Soviet, which has been Produced by Frameworks Films
• Mother Jones & her Children to be screened at Film Festivals
• Festival Programme for 2015 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Released
• Press Launch for 2015 Festival of the Spirit of Mother Jones
• Festival Time approaches!
• New CD Launched – “The Miners’ Angel”
• Dates Announced: The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2016

News 2014

• US Singer-Songwriter Si Kahn to play at Cork Festival
• Spirit of Mother Jones Festival wins major award from the Irish Hotel Federation
• Prof. Rosemary Feurer is set to return to this year’s Spirit of Mother Jones festival
• The full programme of the 2014 Festival is now online
• Tadhg Barry Remembered, produced by Frameworks Films and the Cork Council of Trade Unions
• Successful Press Launch for the 2014 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival lineup
• “Mother Jones and Her Children” – Film by Framework Films – film premiere
• Children of Mother Jones – a new song by Pete Duffy
• Children of Mother Jones – song lyrics
• Beautiful Cork Ready to Welcome Mother Jones Home
• Cork prepares for Spirit of Mother Jones festival
• The Story of the Magdalenes with Claire McGettrick, co-founder of Justice for Magdalenes
• August 1st 2014 – Today is Mother Jones Day
• WAPC Group, who spoke at the Festival visited SIPTU
• Cork Indie Festival to show new Mother Jones film: “Mother Jones and Her Children“
• Mt. Olive Proclamation of Friendship with Cork
• Mother Jones & Her Children DVD is now available

News 2013

• Cork City declares August 1st as Mother Jones Day
• Launch of Four Festivals in Shandon
• Launch of The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival
• Cork Coal Quay Family Festival
• Tadhg Barry’s signature found
• Republishing of James Connolly songbook
• Launch of James Connolly Book
• 2013 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival to Acclaim
• 2013 Opening video and news of the 2014 Festival

News 2012

• The most dangerous woman in America! Cork Remembers Mother Jones in 2012
• Cork to remember Mother Jones, America’s “Miner’s Angel”
• Cork – where Mary Harris was born
• Bringing Mother Jones home to the Northside
• Cork Plans for Mother Jones Festival
• Mother Jones Events Programme Announced
• Cork’s Mother Jones Festival launched at a packed press conference
• Mother Jones featured on Irish Genealogy magazine
• Mother Jones Plaque takes shape
• Poster for Cork’s Mother Jones Festival
• Mother Jones Commemorative Coin
• Cork Mother Jones Coin / Medallion
• Mother Jones events programme (text format)
• Mother Jones featured on Sunday Miscellany July 1st 2012
• Mother Jones in the Irish Times today, July 2, 2012
• The Making of a Monument – The creation of the Mother Jones Commemorative Plaque by sculptor Mick Wilkins.
• Possible relations of Mother Jones sought
• Songs inspired by Mother Jones
• Mother Jones – by Andy Irvine
• Mother Jones by Lila Downs
• The Death of Mother Jones – Gene Autry
• Countdown begins to Mother Jones Festival
• Mother Jones Festival “an outstanding success”