Mother Jones celebrating her birthday on the 1st May 1930 at the Burgess Farm in Maryland.
Supporters of Labour and union activist Mother Jones are presently celebrating her “American birthday”, which Mother herself claimed was on 1st May.
Celebrating Mother Jones’ birthday in Chicago are Hector Arellano of the Bricklayers Union and Brigid Duffy as Mother Jones of Chicago. The photo is by the Mother Jones Heritage Project.
This coincides with May Day which is celebrated as workers day across the world and is based on the campaign for an eight hour day by labour unions in America in 1886.
SIPTU plaque at the Haymarket in Chicago.The Haymarket Incident in Chicago.
While the Haymarket incident took place on the 4th May, the subsequent execution of four innocent workers for the deaths of the policemen after a union meeting in Haymarket Square has been commemorated for the past 140 years.
Deeply influenced by the events at the Haymarket, Mary Harris repeatedly refers to the labour martyrs for the eight hour day in her writings and appears to have said later in her life that she was born on 1st May 1830 as part of her Mother Jones persona.
However records at the North Cathedral in Cork show that she was baptised on the first day of August 1837. So she was probably born on the 31st July as children in Ireland were baptised as early as possible after birth. Church records state that Mary Harris was baptised by Fr. John O’Mahony, her parents were Richard Harris and Mary Cotter and her sponsors were James Hennessy and Ellen Leary.
The North Cathedral of St. Mary and Anne, CorkCertificate of birth and baptism.
Of interest is that the baptism font used that morning almost 190 years ago still remains in use today in the Cathedral.
The original baptism font in which Mary Harris was baptised on the 1st August 1837.
So the annual Spirit of Mother Jones festival takes place in the Shandon Historic Quarter in late July to honour Mother Jones’s annual Irish birthday. All are welcome to the events and to attend the annual toast to Mother Jones using the best Irish whiskey at her Plaque in Shandon thus completing the second annual birthday celebrations of this remarkable woman.
The annual toast to Mother Jones at her plaque in Shandon.
In 2026 the dates of the Spirit of Mother Jones festival and summer school are from Thursday 23rd July until Saturday 25th July.
“The Organised Society and Role of the Labour Movement.”
The former General Secretary of the National Union of Rail,Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) Union, Mick Lynch returned to Cork to speak at the Spirit of Mother Jones festival 2025.
He spoke about the role of the Labour Movement in society.
Mick Lynch. Photo: Emma Bowell.
Thanks to JASE Media Services and after receiving many inquiries we are showing his entire talk which took place at the Dance Cork Firkin Crane.
Relevant, interesting and challenging are the criteria for presentations and lectures at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival. Mick Lynch certainly delivered in this talk. We hope you will watch the video and listen to his ideas.
Mick Lynch: Photo: Angela Flynn.Joan Goggin and Ann Piggott with Mick Lynch. Photo: Emma Bowell.
Des Geraghty, Karan Casey, Mick Lynch and Ethel Buckley at the Cork Butter Exchange in Shandon.
Mick Lynch speaking at the weekly Gaza March in Cork City. Photo: Angela Flynn.Mick Lynch at the Mother Jones plaque.Mick Lynch with the Mexican Community Dance Group.
Cork piper Norman O’Rourke sadly passed away on Tuesday August 26th at St Finbarr’s hospital.
Norman O’Rourke at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Norman played his pipes at many events across Cork but for those of us associated with the annual Spirit of Mother Jones Festival, he will be remembered for piping in the Lord Mayor of Cork to the formal launches and official opening ceremonies of the festival.
Norman O’Rourke with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy and Cork’s Mother Jones (Joan Goggin).
Norman learned to play the pipes in the 1950s with the Cork Volunteers’ Pipe Band which took part in commemorative parades throughout Ireland and played at all the major Gaelic Athletic Association matches during that period. To many, Norman was the face and image of Cork city and he proudly adorns a large banner on the Grand Parade having been chosen as the official piper of the Decade of Centenaries celebrations by Cork City Council, where he is viewed by the thousands coming and going in the City Centre. He used to joke how he kept an eye on all the parades and demonstrations gathered right underneath him for years.
A City Remembers. Norman looks down on the Grand Parade.
A proud follower of Cork hurlers he was so looking forward recently to the All-Ireland final this year but alas victory was not to be. He played with and supported St Vincent’s Hurling and Football Club. However he was regularly seen leading parades of excited children to their medal presentations on pitches at GAA clubs, the sound of his pipes being a magnet for crowds to gather. A lifelong republican he played his pipes at commemorations, parades and funerals where he was a familiar figure.
Norman O’Rourke plays at the baptism font, where Mary Harris (Mother Jones) was baptised on 1st August 1837 in the North Cathedral in Cork. His performance took place on August 1st 2012 at the inaugural Mother Jones Festival. Photo by Martin Duggan.
He played at festivals across the City and It was a great honour for the Cork Mother Jones Committee to have him come each year to do the honours for the Lord Mayor of Cork at our festival. Norman often returned to the festival events later with his wife Marie where he listened to the speakers and the music and he really enjoyed the songs and the craic of the Cork Singers’ Club. Possessing a vast knowledge of Irish history he had a repertoire of stories and funny incidents which he told with a warmth, sincerity and humanity. His admiration for the Cork girl who went on to become Mother Jones was total.
Norman O’Rourke in Shandon in 2012.Norman O’Rourke with Marat Moore in 2012.
He was extremely proud of his family and spoke of his love and support for them.
Norman’s beloved pipes may be silent for now but his warm heart lives on.
We offer our sympathy to Marie, his children and his family.
Norman O’Rourke with his good friend, Richard T. Cooke.Finbarr Archer with Norman.Norman chatting with Richard T. Cooke and Ann Rea on the Cork Mother Jones Committee at the Festival in 2024.
Norman pipes in the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle accompanied by Cork’s Mother Jones to the Festival in 2024.
The 14th Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School will be formally launched by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy on Friday 4th July at 1:00 pm at the Maldron Hotel in Shandon.
We look forward to welcoming the wonderful Choir Kalyna as they perform songs from their homeland to this event.
We are all looking forward to an exciting international festival beginning in just three weeks time on Thursday 24th and continuing to Saturday 26th.
It is packed with talks, walks, songs, music and theater all to celebrate the inspirational spirit of Mother Jones. All are welcome.
Festival programmes are available in the local libraries and many shops around Cork.
United States senator Bernie Sanders and Jane O’Meara Sanders arrived on Shandon Street to huge applause today.
Waiting for Bernie on Shandon Street. J. Nolan.
Bernie and Jane were paying a courtesy call to the Spirit of Mother Jones HQ on Shandon Street where they met members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee and friends of our festival. James and Marie Nolan welcomed our American guests to their local butcher shop which has been on the street since the 1800s and has served as the gathering point for planning the festival which has been held annually since 2012. James is one of the founder members of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Left to Right: James Nolan, Jane O’Meara Sanders, Senator Bernie Sanders and Marie Nolan. Photo (Mary Dineen).
Bernie stepped inside the counter and admitted that this was a first for him in his career as the longest serving Independent senator in United States congressional history. He examined a wide selection of Cork products and checked out the local bodice.
Is that enough bodice for your tea? Photo: Angela Flynn.
Cork Mother Jones Committee member Ann Piggott then proceeded to make a number of presentations to the Sanders family. Among the items was a copy of the Frameworks Films produced Mother Jones and Her Children, a festival poster and Elliott J. Gorn’s biography of Mother Jones.
In addition Ann produced some Cork treats of a bottle of Tanora, chester cakes (donkeys gudge) and some Tayto crisps, as a symbol of a special Cork welcome which she presented to the Sanders and were very appreciated by Bernie and Jane.
Bernie with Mother Jones Committee at presentation. Photo (Mary Dineen).
During a brief account of the extraordinary and long life of Mother Jones by committee member Ger O’Mahony, a number of interesting connections between Bernie and the Mother Jones family were revealed. Back in May 26th 2015 Bernie Sanders made his formal announcement that he was running for president of the United States on the waterfront park on Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont which he had helped to create while he was the proud Mayor first elected in 1981 of his hometown. He was re-elected three times during his tenure and served until 1989 after which he was elected to Congress.
Exactly a decade after announcing his presidential run, almost to the day (27th May 2025), Bernie Sanders was standing in Shandon, the home of Mother Jones.
Amazingly it was from here in Shandon in the heart of Cork City that Richard Harris and his son Richard junior, the father and brother of Mary Harris (Mother Jones) left to go to Canada on the infamous coffin ships in the late 1840s, probably during “Black 47”. According to author Elliott Gorn, the Harris men first appeared in the 1850 US census as living in Vermont in Bernie’s own town Burlington. Boarding with a local family, they were described as Illiterate and propertyless. In an era of fluid borders, the Harris’s had initially travelled into the United States to Burlington just over the border from Canada where they spent some time after emigrating from Cork .
By the time Richard’s wife Ellen Harris along with the remaining family members including Mary arrived from Ireland in the early 1850s, the Harris family had left Burlington and moved back to Canada to Bathurst Street in Toronto, where young Mary Harris grew up and was educated.
Jane and Bernie at the Mother Jones plaque for the first time. Photo (Angela Flynn).
Everyone then strolled through the ancient and historic streets of Shandon where a young Mary Harris may have walked to assemble at the plaque of Mother Jones erected in 2012 by the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
Jane and Bernie. The famous Shandon Bells can be seen in the background. Photo by Angela Flynn.
From underneath the plaque Bernie addressed the crowd,
” Now is the time to fight for the living. Seeing massive concentrations of wealth and power of a handful of multi-billionaires who literally want to control not just the United States but the entire world, who couldn’t care less about working people……they want it all”
“It is imperative that we stand together as what we see in the United States today will be in Europe and Ireland tomorrow”.
Bernie Sanders. Photo: Mary Dineen.
Calling for international solidarity he continued
“We must remember our common humanity, all the children of the world have a right to live, with food and with education, security and that we must strive for a world of peace and not war. There is an enormous amount of work in front of us, Let’s stand together and let’s do it.”
Jane added
“It’s wonderful to be here to commemorate Mother Jones. What she stood for in terms of workers rights in terms of protection of the children is very much in our feeling of what are the priorities of life. Thank you for welcoming us to Cork on such an auspicious occasion”
Committee member William Hammond then sang the ballad of Joe Hill and concluded with a rendering of Salonika to rapturous applause.
And the meeting concluded with the traditional whiskey toast at the Mother Jones plaque led by Bernie and Jane.
Toast to Mother Jones at the plaque. Bernie, Jane and members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee (Photo by Andrew Desmond).Bernie Sanders at the Mother Jones plaque. Photo: Angela Flynn.President Michael D. Higgins with US Senator, Bernie Sanders.Bernie and Jane with the local community Gardaí. Photo: Angela Flynn.
The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival takes place from Thursday 24th July until Saturday 26th July 2025.
Full programme of events will be available on this site by mid June or thereabouts.
Gather in front of the Maldron Hotel, Shandon. No booking required.
Peter Foynes of the Cork Butter Museum will conduct a walk through the historic birthplace of Mary Harris.
Peter Foynes.
It will take about 75 minutes.
Shandon comes from two Gaelic words, sean, old and dún, a fort or castle. Shandon has had a distinct identity on the northern hill overlooking the River Lee since the 12th Century. It is a remarkable community , containing a rich urban heritage and many regard it as the very heart of Cork City. The heritage of the area represents the old religious struggles and conflict in Ireland going back many centuries, now existing in mutual respect and tolerance. Uniquely the business history and heritage of Cork City and County can also be found in this small area, represented by the butter and meat trade both from its rural hinterland and then sent over the world. Thirdly, a vibrant, diverse and positive community lives in the narrow streets largely unchanged since the time when a young Mary Harris lived and played by these streets on the hill. Peter Foynes has written extensively about Shandon, he is active in the local community and knows these streets.
The North CathedralThe Butter MuseumThe Shandon BellsThe Firkin Crane in Shandon.
Saturday 27th July 2024, 3:00 p.m.
Feminist Walk 2. This begins in University College Cork and arrives at the Mother Jones Plaque at about 5.45 in time for the annual toast to Mother Jones.
The event lasts 2-3 hours.
The joint hosts are Professor Maggie O’Neill and Conach Gibson, UCC to discover more about some of the amazing, trail-blazing women of Cork on an outdoor walk.
Professor Maggie o’Neill.Conach Gibson- Feinblum
Message from event organiser, 18th July 2024. Registration for this walk is now full. Only walkers who registered on event brite can be accommodated on the day.
Feminist 2 ‘ Women, Confinement and Social Justice’ takes a winding guided walk across Cork City to learn more about the contributions of trail-blazing women woven into the history and topography of the city, and their great work in challenging sexual and social inequalities to build safer and fairer societies for all. Maggie O’Neill, Professor in Sociology & Criminology, Director of ISS21 and Collective Social Futures at UCC, and has a long history of socially engaged research with communities for social justice. Conach Gibson Feinblum is a PhD student at University College Cork, who worked as a researcher to co-create the feminist walk and website.
Maggie O’Neill speaking at the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
Julianna Minihan will deliver a talk on the above topic on Saturday, July 27th, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. in the Maldron Hotel, Shandon.
Most of us take water totally for granted, and we never ask questions about where it comes from, how it is delivered to our homes and where it goes. Yet where there is no water, there is no life! It is the very lifeblood of the land and nature. It has been fought over; it has been dammed, polluted and disputed, politicised, and wasted; humans have failed to perfect the cycle of water. Clean drinking water may yet be the oil and gold of future generations, but whereas we can live without oil and gold, we cannot survive without drinking water.
Berwick Water Fountain on the Grand Parade in Cork.
In Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency has been warning about the growing pollution in our rivers, lakes and seas. Growing controversy from 2013 to 2017 about the privatisation of water supplies and charging for water led to tens of thousands of citizens taking to the streets, arguing that access to fresh water is a basic human right. Uisce Eireann, previously Irish Water, a state-owned company, was established to take over the provision of water and wastewater services, which had previously been carried out by Local Authorities across Ireland.
Old water pump which delivered a public water supply to many communities.
The following is Julianna Minihan’s outline of her talk:
“This talk will outline the historical provision of water in Cork City 1760-1900, with some background information on the people of the city, public health, economics, and levels of poverty at the time. It will consider how the poor of Cork were affected by a part time and inadequate supply of water from a very few public fountains paid for by the City; and how 50,000 poor Cork people were dependent on contaminated water in the 1840’s. It will consider how just 900 houses owned by wealthy people had a private supply of water (which they paid for) in the 1840’s, and how that came about.
It will consider the supply of water to industry, and will briefly mention waste disposal, the cess collection business, the usefulness of market gardens for utilizing compost, and the importance of tidal flushing of the river twice daily. It will explain why the City once again took over the water supply around 1860, and why they had once sold shares to businessmen after 1765. It will provide some information on the people who benefited, the politics, economics, public health, and even the basic need for water for human survival involved in the 1800’s.”
In 1833, one fountain provided water (part-time) for the poor in Cork. It was located on Nile Street (now Western Road). At the time, the company was paying its shareholders 5% dividends, and they complained that the fountain for the poor was built at a great loss to them. They refused to allow other fountains without ongoing payments.
The weir by the water works, originally erected by Mr Fitton in 1765, was known as ‘the Bald Weir’ in an 1845 court case, taken by a mill owner when the height of the weir almost blocked the flow of water on the south channel of the Lee.
The Water Weir on the River Lee is close to the Waterworks.
Julianna Minihan will speak at the Maldron Hotel, Shandon, on Saturday, July 27th, at 10:30 a.m.
All are welcome.
The Dunscombe Fountain on Shandon StreetThe Dunscombe Fountain at Christmas.
The Dunscombe Testimonial Fountain above was donated by the Dunscombe family to Cork Corporation in 1883 as a drinking fountain representing an appropriate memorial for abstinence from alcohol. It disappeared in the late 70s, and Cork City Council say they do not know where it is. Would any reader know?
Our festival will take place from Thursday 25th to Saturday 27th July, in and around the Shandon Historic Quarter. The Summer School and musical events are held in the Shandon Maldron Hotel and Dance Cork Firkin Crane on John Redmond Street.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Kieran McCarthy opens the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival pictured with some members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
The members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee are busy planning the three day programme of events for what is our thirteenth annual community festival..
The festival and summer school will again feature a wide variety of speakers, films, walks, toasts and music associated with the trade union campaigning interests of Cork born Mother Jones.
Announcements of speakers as they confirm will appear here on a regular basis. However we can confirm that historians Liz Gillis and Anne Twomey will again feature on the opening evening. The work of both over many years has questioned the disappearance of many radical women from the official narrative of Irish history.
Historians Liz Gillis and Anne Twomey.
Many of these women had been active in the Irish War Of Independence and Irish Civil War, and some highlighted the appalling social conditions endured by many people in the new State from 1922 onwards. However the new government cancelled the women in today’s terms and through legislation marginalised them for many decades in the social, economic and political life of the State.
The festival is planning to feature the latest documentary on Mother Jones “Fight Like Hell” – The Testimony of Mother Jones which was written and performed by Kaiulani Lee.
Actress Kaiulani, who has visited the festival on several occasions, has worked for several years to create this amazing documentary and we are all eagerly looking forward to seeing it for the first time in Mother Jones’ home place.
Our strong interest in the international trade union movement will see a range of Irish trade union speakers discuss the future of trade unions while we will feature a number of documentaries on the 40th anniversary of the UK Miners Strike and the actions of Scottish workers who refused to work on General Pinochet’s Air Force planes.
Trade Union leader, Mick Lynch in pensive mood at the Butter Market in Shandon.
Environmental issues and climate change will also feature and will include a showing of a documentary on local biodiversity as well as a round table discussion involving young environmental activists.
The Cork Ukrainian Choir and the Cobh Animation Group at the 2023 Festival Launch.
A highlight of the opening night will see the return of the unique and legendary Cork Singers’ Club, who have performed to packed attendances at all the festivals since 2012. Cork’s John Nyhan will arrange the musical events on Friday night and has planned a huge surprise, while singer Martin Leahy returns to sing at the traditional whiskey toast of Mother Jones on Saturday evening.
Cork Piper, Norman O’Rourke plays the traditional bagpipes for the Lord Mayor’s entry to the festival.
Remember we try to ensure that events, except fundraising remain free to all. There is no pre booking required, but please attend early as its a first come, first seated policy.
As always we expect the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival will be interesting, relevant and challenging to encourage discussion and debate.
The 13th Spirit of Mother Jones Festival will be held in and around the Shandon Historic Quarter from Thursday 25th July until Saturday 27th July 2024 inclusive. The festival will be organised by the Cork Mother Jones Committee 2024, an independent voluntary community based committee. The festival is dedicated to the memory of Mary Harris/Mother Jones and to inspirational people everywhere who fight for social justice, workers rights and human rights.
Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the RMT Union with members for the Cork Mother Jones Committee receives the 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones Award. Photo: Niamh O’Flynn.
The festival and summer school will consist of talks, discussions, songs, music, films and documentaries. We hope to make them interesting, challenging and relevant. If you have a relevant topic which you wish to see included, please email motherjonescork@gmail.com as early as possible but before 29th February 2024 and we will get back to you.
According to James Nolan, spokesperson,
“The 2023 Spirit of Mother Jones festival was without doubt one of the very best we’ve had. Hundreds of people from all corners of Ireland and across the world visited Shandon and many events had a capacity audience. Trade union leader Mick Lynch was an outstanding speaker, he attracted a huge attendance to the Firkin Theatre and was delighted to be back in the city of his father and the extended Lynch family. All the speakers, musicians, singers, choirs, many participating for the first time, ensured a lively three days. Even the traditional Irish whiskey toast to Mother Jones was packed. We are already looking forward to the 2024 festival.”
All are welcome to attend the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School, events are informal and free thanks to the support of the Irish trade union movement and the Cork City Council. Attendance at each event is on a first come, first seated basis, so no need to book. We look forward to seeing you.
Cork Singer Songwriter, Martin Leahy brought the curtain down on the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2023.
Singer-songwriter Martin Leahy.
Martin travelled to Dublin every week for a year, to stand close to the Dáíl and sing his song, “Everyone Should Have a Home”.
Playing before an enormous crowd on John Redmond Street on Saturday evening, Martin sang an emotional Everyone Should Have a Home under the Mother Jones Plaque. Earlier he sang tributes to Sinead O’Connor and Ann Lovett.
Some of the large crowd at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
This was followed by the traditional whiskey toast to Mother Jones at the plaque.
Members of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.
Earlier we had talks from historians, Luke Dineen and Pat Murphy, who was brought up in Ballyphehane and is now Chairperson of the Nottingham Irish Centre.
Pat MurphyLuke Dineen
It is fair to say that those watching the film Secrets From Putamayo won’t forget it for a long time. It may go a long ways towards ensuring that the work of Roger Casement is appreciated more.
An early start saw historian Peter Foynes take people on a fascinating trip around the historic Shandon district. Maggie O’Neill conducted a large Feminist walking tour around the north side of the City.
Maggie O’NeillPeter Foynes at the Mother Jones plaque.
It has been a wonderful festival.
Mother Jones with Mick Lynch.Mick Lynch at the Cork Butter Market.Crowd at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
