Vita Cortex Workers Tell Their Story

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Admin

A gathering of some former Vita Cortex workers was held at the recent Spirit of Mother Jones Summer School under moderator Anne Piggott, member of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is vita-cortex-workers-2-1337x1024.jpg — Left to Right: Greg Marshall, Jim Power, Sean Kelleher, Denis Ryan, Tom Ronan, Darren O’Keefe (supporter), Helen Crowley. Also present were Connie Griffin and Henry O’Reilly.

The discussion which took place among the former workers was both engaging and inspiring and often very humorous as they discussed events during the 161 day sit-in at the Vita Cortex factory, which manufactured foam for the furniture industry on the Kinsale Road in Cork.

Just before Christmas 2012 on the 16th December, while planning for their Christmas Party, the workers were told the shocking news that the factory was being closed and they were being made redundant and would not receive their pay.

Instead of meekly accepting their lot, the twenty three workers began a sit-in at the factory which continued for 161 day until May 2013 when after negotiations under the Labour Relations Commission between the union and the owners they were paid their full outstanding redundancy payments by the owners of the company.

Anne Taylor, President of the Cork Council of Trade Unions speaking at the Festival. Greg Marshall looks on.

The sit-in which captured the imagination of the country and gained massive support from the local people of Ballyphehane and Cork as well as messages of support from all over Ireland and the wider world, finally ended on 24th May. They appeared on national television and spoke on all the major radio stations as well as obtaining extensive newspaper coverage. Some of their supporters were highly skilled on social media and the story of the Vita Cortex workers basically went viral.

Huge marches of support organised by the Trade Union movement were held in Cork City and attracted great support from the ordinary people of Cork. The Vita Cortex workers were invited to Aras an Uachtarain to meet President Michael D. Higgins, where they had a fantastic day out.

The workers gathered at the Summer School to tell their inspiring story of the one hundred and sixty one day sit-in at the factory during the Spirit Of Mother Jones Festival. They received a standing ovation from the large crowd present. Mother Jones would have been proud of these brave workers.

Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School for Saturday 25th July 2026.

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Admin

Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School for Saturday 25th July 2026. All events at the Maldron Hotel, Shandon except where stated.

9:30 a.m. Peter Foynes: A Heritage stroll. Meet at the Maldron

11:00 a.m. “Remembering the Asbestos War in County Cork 1975-1980”
Speakers: Gertie O’Driscoll, Tom MacSweeney, Derry Chambers & John Twomey.

1:15 p.m. Memories of departed friends.

2:15 p.m. Naomi Masheti. Cork Migrant Centre. “Activism through Story Telling: Raising the Voices of Migrants’

3:30 p.m. John Donoghue. “The Battle of Irish Town: Mother Jones, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Catholic Working Class Resistance 1919-1923.”

5:00 p.m. Celebrating the Vita Cortex Struggle. Speakers: Ex-Workers and Supporters tell their story

6:30 p.m. Plaque events with singer and songwriter Martin Leahy. Singers and musicians welcome. Followed by a traditional whiskey toast to Mother Jones. Plaque is located on John Redmond Street.

Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School on Friday 24th July 2026.

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Admin

All events take place today at the Maldron Hotel, Shandon.

10:00 a.m. The Big Meeting. A documentary about the annual Durham Miners’ Gala, the largest trade union and community gathering in the UK. Directed by Daniel Draper.

11:30 a.m. Bernardo Guanche Hernandez, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Ireland. Life in Cuba

1: 00 p.m. Club Ceoil Ballyphehane Ballad Group.

2:15 p.m. Grace O’ Sullivan. “Taking Action for the Planet: Life on the High Seas”. In memory of Fernando Pereira (1950-1985)

3:45 p.m. Tadhg Hickey: Writer, film maker, comedian and political activist.

5: 00 p.m. GAZA (2019):

A film by Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell.
Portrait of a people and a place prior to the Genocide.

7:30 p.m. “This Land is Our Land: Confronting Extremism and Reclaiming Democracy”
Panel discussion: speakers,
John Donoghue, Associate Professor of History, Loyola University, Chicago
Gema Kloppe-Santamaria, Lecturer, School of Society, Politics and Ethics, UCC.
Tom Boland, Lecturer in Sociology in UCC.
Moderator: John Barimo.

9:30 p.m. John Nyhan and Friends
David King and Friends: Songs of Struggle, Songs of Hope.

Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School on Thursday 23rd July 2026.

Posted on July 22, 2026 by Admin

All Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School on Thursday 23rd July 2026 are at the Maldron Hotel, Shandon, except where stated.

11:00 a.m. Frameworks Films Mother Jones and Her Children…. the Documentary

12:00 noon. Dr. Edward Lahiff discusses the book by Elliott Gorn, Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America.

1:15 p.m. Official opening by the Lord Mayor of Cork Performance by KALYNA Ukrainian Community Choir. Cobh Animation Group will attend.

2:30 p.m. Phil Ni Sheaghdha, President of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. “Democratic Trade Unions matter because they Strengthen Democracy”
Followed by Presentation of the Spirit of Mother Jones Award 2026.

4:00 p.m. Sara Nelson, International President of the Association of Flight Attendants CWA, AFL-CIO. ZOOM fraternal greetings to the festival from one of America’s most important Trade Union leaders.

5:00 p.m. Des Geraghty, Former President of SIPTU and MEP. Author, musician, singer and social justice campaigner. “An Injury to One is the Concern of All”

7:30 p.m. Anne Twomey. “The Remarkable Cummins Sisters from Cork at the Dance Cork Firkin Crane

9:30 p.m. Cork Singers Club.

Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival Saturday 27th July

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Admin

9:00 a.m. Peter Foynes: a walk through the birthplace of Mary Harris (Mother Jones). Gather at the Maldron Hotel.

10:30 a.m. Julianna Minihan, (Historian).

11:30 a.m. Owen Reidy, General Secretary of the ICTU.

2:15 p.m. Jack Lane, Aubane Historical Society.

3:00 p.m. Feminist Walk 2 Leaving UCC.

3:30 p.m. The Battle for Orgreave (Documentary)

4:30 p.m. Gerard O’Rourke (Author)

6.00 p.m. Plaque Event with Martin Leahy.

Stories of Palestine

Posted on July 18, 2024 by Admin

Speakers:

Walaa Sabah, Project Manager of We Are Not Numbers (WANN)

Fiona O’Rourke, Author

Dr Nick Maynard, Surgeon

In attendance: Ms Zeina Alazzeh, Research and Policy Officer, Embassy of the State of Palestine.

Friday 26th July at 7:00 p.m. at Dance Cork Firkin Crane.

Walaa Sabah

Walaa Sabah is the director of operations at We Are Not Numbers (WANN). She works as a freelance journalist. Her articles about the Palestinian situation can be read on MEE, El, Mondoweiss and the New Arab.

Walaa recently spoke at the weekly Cork Palestinian Solidarity Group protest in Cork and described some of the heart breaking individual stories behind the statistics in Gaza.

When the world talks about Palestinians living under occupation and in refugee camps, it is usually in terms of politics and numbers – specifically, how many killed, injured, homeless and/or dependent on aid. However numbers are impersonal and often numbing. What they don’t convey are the daily personal struggles and triumphs, the tears and the laughter, and the aspirations that are so universal that if it weren’t for the context, they would immediately resonate with virtually everyone.

The mission of WANN is to create a new generation of Palestinian writers and thinkers who can bring together a profound change to the Palestinian cause to get their voices heard. WANN provides the world with direct access to the Palestinian narrative without any restrictions and without foreign intermediaries speaking on behalf of the Palestinians. To date some 350 contributors have published more than 1300 stories from Palestine.

Fiona O’Rourke

Fiona is a published author from the North of Ireland with recent stories included in Shorter Stories Ireland, Dublin Story Slam, Fortnight Magazine and the Storms Journal.
Her creative non-fiction was selected by Munster Lit. and will be published in the Southword Journal in Winter 2024.

A member of the Irish Writers Union, Fiona has designed and facilitated creative writing courses and programmes at Trinity College, Dublin Innovation Academy, Libraries, festivals, in the community and at the Irish Writers Centre Dublin.

She is the co-organiser and MC for Open Mic for Gaza Zoom fundraisers and the organiser/facilitator for eXpress Write for Gaza, a writing session fundraiser. All donations raised at these events have gone to the Ghassan Abu Sitta Children’s Fund.

Dr Nick Maynard

Dr Nick Maynard is a senior surgeon at Oxford University Hospital and has worked in Gaza leading an Emergency Medical Team for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP). MAP’s vision is a future where all Palestinians can access an effective, sustainable and locally-led system of healthcare, and the full realisation of their rights to health and dignity. Through their programmes in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and Lebanon, they work with trusted and experienced local partners to achieve this vision. MAP programmes, designed and delivered by Palestinians, provide access to essential health services and build local knowledge and skills to address Palestinian health problems. In times of humanitarian emergency, MAP is ready to respond rapidly with aid and assistance.

See https://www.map.org.uk/ for more details.

Zeina Alazzeh

Zeina Alazzeh did her master’s degree in International Public Policy and Diplomacy at UCC and as part of her programme, she worked as a research assistant with Dr Andrew Cottey on EU-China relations. Zeina conducted her master’s thesis on the role of the EU and China in East Africa. She also worked as a research and teaching assistant at Birzeit University Palestine for three years. Her research interests are in EU foreign policies, international relations, and politics in conflict areas with the focus on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Today, Zeina works as a Research and Policy Officer at the Embassy Of The State of Palestine in Dublin and attends this meeting at the request of Ambassador Dr. Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid.. .

All are welcome. Its first come, first seated.

Big Jim Larkin: His Life, Times and Ideology.

Posted on July 17, 2024 by Admin

Saturday 27th July 2024 at 4.30pm

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Luke Dineen is unable to attend the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2024. Historian Gerard O’Rourke, will instead give a talk on his recent book, “Land War to Civil War 1900-1924 Donoughmore to Cork and Beyond” at 4:30 pm on Saturday 27th July 2024 at the Shandon Maldron Hotel. All are welcome.

See further details on the site.

Maldron Hotel Shandon.

Speaker: Luke Dineen.

2024 is the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Jim Larkin, who was born on January 28th 1874 in Liverpool.

Iconic photo of Jim Larkin, in O’Connell, 1913.

Jim Larkin founded the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in December 1908.

He was among the founders of the Irish Labour Party in 1912 and led the workers in the Dublin Lockout in 1913/14. He also helped to establish the Irish Citizen Army which played a prominent role under James Connolly in the 1916 Rising, Larkin spent from 1914 to 1923 in America. . On his return from America he was involved in a split from the ITGWU and the Workers Union of Ireland was formed. Jim Larkin was elected to Dáil Eiréann on three occasions. He died on 30th January 1947.

Luke Dineen, a regular speaker at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival intends to “put a particular focus on what underpinned Larkin’s ideology – Larkinism as it was called at the time – and how significant this was for events in Cork (1909 lock out) and across the country”.

Luke Dineen speaking at the 2022 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.

Walks at the 2024 Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Admin

Saturday 27th July.

9:00 a.m.

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.

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.

https://thebuttermuseum.com

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.

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.

Registration for the walk is now open at:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/feminist-walk-2-women-confinement-and-social-justice-tickets-943556311327on Event Brite.

“Union Renewal”

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Admin

A talk by Adrian Kane of SIPTU.

Thursday 25th July 2024 at 2.30 pm at the Maldron Hotel Shandon.

Adrian Kane first became active in trade unions in his early twenties while working for Bord na Móna. He has worked for SIPTU as a full time union official since 1995. Adrian is a graduate of the National College of Industrial Relations. He also attended University College Dublin and Keele University where he studied Employment Law and European Industrial Relations. He is the author of a recent book “Trade Unions” published by Cork University Press.

“Trade Unions”, Adrian’s analysis of internal trade union politics casts a sometimes critical eye over how trade unions structures are organised. As he has spent nearly 30 years operating in the front lines of industrial relations he is in a strong position to present his case. He also focuses on the vital debate as to how the trade union movement should operate in the ever changing world of work in the new digital economy. He will pose the question as to how trade unions are going to attract workers to become union members especially in the gig and digital economies. Adrian outlines the changes to the culture structures that might be required to join and discusses the possibilities and opportunities for an enhanced role for the trade union movement in the future world of work.

Trade Unions by Adrian Kane, Published by Cork University Press.

All are welcome to attend the meeting and take part in the discussion.

An Environmental Round Table.

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Admin

Climate Change and Taking Action.

A puffin on Sceilig Mhichíl. Photo: John Barimo.

Moderator: John Barimo.

Panellists: Niamh Guiry, Claudia Hihetah, Dearbhla Richardson.

Friday 26th July 2024 at 2.30pm at the Maldron Hotel

Climate Change is the issue of our time, failure to take action on a governmental and individual scale will result in the gradual destruction of our entire planet. In what way will climate change affect Ireland? At best it will have a significant impact on environment and nature and some cities on our coast, at worst it will impact virtually everything we take for granted socially, economically and politically and how we live day to day. Come and hear what the young activists have to say about the current progress to prevent these impacts of climate change from taking place.

Dearbhla Richardson.

“Dearbhla Richardson is a 23 year old climate justice activist from Cobh, Co. Cork. She is a recent graduate of the BSc International Development Programme in University College Cork. She has just recently finished up her term as Concern Worldwide’s Youth Climate Ambassador and is currently working on a campaign with other Irish Youth calling on the Irish Government to endorse the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Claudia Hihetah.

Claudia Hihetah, a PhD researcher at MaREI hosted at University College Cork. Claudia’s research focuses on investigating the lived experiences of energy poverty in order to advance solutions to this problem. Her PhD focuses on “Developing effective policy responses to address energy poverty and increase energy justice. The 11-strong UCC group includes 30-year-old Claudia Hihetah from Ghana. Claudia has spent four days at COP. with a UCC delegation.

“There’s a huge appetite for climate action but, then again, there is a huge sense of scepticism as to the outcomes or success of this year’s climate talks,” she said. “My hope for COP is for leaders to put people at the heart of the decision making, at the heart of climate action, and at the heart of a just energy transition.”

Niamh Guiry.

Niamh Guiry is a second-year EPA-IRC PhD scholar at the School of Law, University College Cork. Her research explores the interrelationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global environmental governance, and evolving patterns of international law-making. Niamh is an environmental activist and has a keen interest in biodiversity protection, climate justice, and environmental education.

Moderator: John Barimo.

John Barimo takes action at UCC through SDSN Ireland, an all-island network of universities and NGOs addressing issue of sustainability and climate instability. He’s a coastal ecologist who who thrives in engaging across academia and the wider society both locally and globally. John’s also an early stage climate migrant who’s returned from the diaspora to find a vibrant life in Ireland. John is a long standing member of the Cork Mother Jones Committee.

The Environmental Round Table “Climate Change and Taking Action” discussion takes place in the Maldron Hotel, Shandon on Friday afternoon, commencing at 2:30 pm. All are welcome.

The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival

Shandon, Cork City, Ireland

Category Archives: Events