Events at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival on Thursday 25th July 2024.

At Maldron Hotel, Shandon unless stated.

10:30 a.m.  Nae Pasaran

1:00 p.m.   Official opening by Alderman Dan Boyle, Lord Mayor of Cork.

                  Special appearance by the Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir.

2:30 p.m.   Adrian Kane “Union Renewal” 

4:00 p.m.  Fight Like Hell – The Testimony of Mother Jones.

                 Documentary written and performed by Kaiulani Lee.

                 Dance Cork Firkin Crane

7:00 p.m.  Liz Gillis 

                 ‘Is This What They Fought For? Women And Independent Ireland”  

                 Anne Twomey

                “A Dauntless Spirit who went on to fight for women in a country where 

                 they were treated like half-wits”  Margaret Goulding Buckley.

                 Dance Cork Firkin Crane.  

9:30 p.m. Cork Singers’ Club.   

Kalyna Ukrainian Community Choir

“Union Renewal”

A talk by Adrian Kane of SIPTU.

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

Adrian Kane

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.