Shandon

Mother Jones festival begins today!

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Members of the committee of Cork Mother Jones Festival and guests with Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Mary Shields

Some of the guests at this year’s Spirit of Mother Jones Festival, along with committee members, being received at Cork City Hall today, by the Lord Mayor Mary Shields.

Cork's Lord Mayor, Cllr. Mary Shields with some members of the Cork Mother Jones Commitee at City Hall this morning (L-R): James Nolan, Cllr. Ted Tynan, the Lord Mayor, Michael Lally.

Cork’s Lord Mayor, Cllr. Mary Shields with some members of the Cork Mother Jones Commitee at City Hall this morning (L-R): James Nolan, Cllr. Ted Tynan, Lord Mayor Shields, and  Michael Lally.

mj_fanfare

The third annual Spirit of Mother Jones opens tonight, heralding the start of a four-day festival of film, debate, music and more in the historic Shandon area on Cork City’s Northside. The festival is the culmination of months of preparation and effort and puts in place an event which has now become established as one of Cork’s most unique festivals, recalling the life and legacy of Mary Harris / Mother Jones, Cork’s rebel daugthter, America’s venerable campaigner.

Today’s events, under the heading “The Gathering”, are as follows:-

Tuesday, 29th July 2014

5.00pm – Official Festival opening at the Maldron Hotel

6.00pm – “Mother Jones, America’s Most Dangerous Woman” – a film by Rosemary Feurer (at the Firkin Crane).

7.30pm – The Cork Mother Jones 2014 Lecture with Professor James Greene of the University of Massachusetts, Boston and author of Death in the Haymarket and the West Virginia Mine Wars.

9.30pm – Cork Singer’s Club perform at the Maldron Hotel.

Beautiful Cork ready to welcome Mother Jones home

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Mother Jones display in window of Nolan's butcher shop, Shandon Street.

Mother Jones display, Nolan’s butcher shop, Shandon St. Pic: Martin Duggan.

 

A few days ago we reported that volunteers were busy preparing the Shandon area of Cork for the Spirit of Mother Jones festival which starts next Tuesday, 29th July.   Today we have some photos to show the results of that work.    Our sincere thanks once again to Shandon Area Resident’s association, local business premises, Cork City Council and local volunteers.

Si Kahn at Shandon

Si Kahn visits historic Shandon. (L-R): Jim Nolan, Si Kahn, Ger O’Mahony and Elizabeth Minnich (more details click pic). Photo: Martin Duggan

 

Flowers around the Mother Jones plaque, John Redmond Street, Shandon, Cork City.

Flowers around the Mother Jones plaque, John Redmond Street, Shandon, Cork City.

 

Flowers in an old milk churn at Cork's historic Butter Market, Shandon.

Flowers in an old milk churn at Cork’s historic Butter Market, Shandon.

Flower baskets at Shandon

Flower baskets at Shandon

Cork prepares for Spirit of Mother Jones festival

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Cork Tourist office

Cork Tourist Office on Grand Parade with Mother Jones window display (Pic: A. Mahony)

A “Spirit of Mother Jones” window display is the highlight of Cork’s main tourist office on the city’s Grand parade this week.   The display highlights the life and work of Mother Jones, her Cork birthplace and promotes the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival which begins in the historic Shandon district next week on Tuesday, 29th July.    In addition to the Tourist Office display in the city centre, the Shandon area is en fete currently with colourful bunting and is awash with flowers with hanging baskets and floral displays while a number of local business premises also feature Mother Jones posters.  Our sincere thanks to the Shandon Area Resident’s Assocation, Fáilte Ireland, the staff of the Cork Tourist office and especially to Mother Jones committee members James Nolan for his work with the Shandon displays and Ailbhe Mahony who put together the tourist office display.    The festival also features prominently on Cork City Council’s website and in local media.

Cork, and Shandon in particular,  can take a bow.  Mother Jones would be impressed.

 

 

Spirit of Mother Jones Concert 2014

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The Mother Jones Gala Concert will once again be one of the highlights of the music programme of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and will take place at the Firkin Crane theatre in Cork’s historic Shandon area on Wednesday, 30th July 2014, beginning at 9.00pm after a full day of film, lectures and debate. Once again the inimitable Richard T.Cooke will be the MC for the concert and we can expect a few songs and plenty of banter from Richard who is one of the “unsung” heroes of the festival.     The full line-out for the gala concert is as follows:

Richard T. Cooke, singer, song-writer, historian and raconteur

Richard T. Cooke, singer, song-writer, historian and raconteur

Richard T. Cooke, troubadour, radio pressenter, etc, etc. The Cork Rokk Choir will serenade us with songs from the Mother Jones era. Kieran McCarthy, Tenor, will perform contemporary songs accompanied by the Cork Rokk Choir. The Cork Shakespearing Company, who are currently celebrating 90 years of Hollywood stage productions, will perform a Mother Jones monologue. Aoife Delaney, Actor / Singer – will perform a young Mary Harris (Mother Jones). Muddy Lee and the Cork Shawlies – will perform their No.1 Cork song entitled “Up the Coal Quay”. To finish off an exciting evening of music and performance the Mother Jones Ceili Band will give a concert at the nearby Maldron Hotel, commencing at 10.30pm. Our thanks to Richard T. Cooke, William Hammond and all concerned.

Si Kahn, whose songs have inspired many

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Si Kahn, singer, songwriter, writer, community organiser, union activist and environmental campaigner will play in a joint festival fundraising concert with Anne Feeney at the Firkin Crane Centre on Thursday 31st July at 8.30.

Si Kahn

Si Kahn

 

Tickets for the concert are available through www.tickets.ie or from Plugd Records at the Triskel Arts Centre, the Maldron Hotel or phone 086 1651356.

 

Si will hold a songwriting workshop at the Maldron Hotel on Monday 28th July at 8pm. All singers/songwriters or those interested in songwriting are very welcome to come along and meet Si, where he will hold a practical session.

 

We can confirm that Si will also speak about his life and his current campaign to protect Bristol Bay in Alaska on Friday afternoon 1st August at 2pm.

 

Si’s songs of family, community, love, work and freedom have been recorded and performed by hundreds of artists, including Planxty, Patrick Street, Eleanor Shanley, Dolores Keane, the Fureys, the Dublin City Ramblers, Dick Gaughan, June Tabor and the Oyster Band, Alec Campbell, Brian McNeill, Eddi Reader, Peggy Seeger, Renaud, Kathy Mattea, John McCutcheon, the original Red Clay Ramblers, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Blue Rose, Robin and Linda Williams, Hazel Dickens, Laurie Lewis and to Rozum, the Dry Branch Fire Squad, Charles Sawtelle, and Rosalie Sorrels.

 

 

Children of Mother Jones – a new song by Pete Duffy

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Children of Mother Jones. (c) Pete Duffy

A new ballad by Cork musician Pete Duffy, which will be performed publicly for the first time at 1pm on Thursday 31st July 2014 during “Music at the Maldron” session at the Maldron Hotel, Shandon for the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival with Muddy Lee. All are welcome to attend and sing along at this first performance of Children of Mother Jones for Cork’s famous rebel daughter. A Douglas Writers commemorative project for the Spirit of Mother Jones festival 2014.

“Mother Jones – Sinner and Saint”

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Prof. Simon Cordery

S. Cordery

Professor Simon Cordery

Professor Simon Cordery will be the main speaker on the final day of our festival this year, Thursday 1st August (Mother Jones Day). Simon is Chair of the History Department at West Illinois University and Author of “Mother Jones, raising cain and consciousness” Below is a short article by Simon and a taster for his contribution to on August 1 at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival at the Firkin Crane theatre, Cork

To challenge the status quo, to threaten those in power, to demand justice for the sake of the downtrodden invites retribution. Only a woman of spirit—with courage to spare and a sense of righteousness—would dare to confront mega-corporations and the state. In the late nineteenth century, Mary Harris “Mother” Jones made herself into that person.

Mary Harris became Mother Jones. In her late sixties she developed the persona of a white-haired grandmother who stormed the coal mines to remind the robber barons—the “pirates,” as she called them—of their duty to workers. Armed only with a quick wit and the labor theory of value she forced Americans to confront crucial questions about the nature and direction of capitalism. For people who accepted the world as it was, this was her sin: she was the conscience the nation lacked.

But to those who suffered in the mining villages and along the coal seams she was a saint. Jubilant cries went up when “Mother” was coming to help them. She made them see how they could save themselves through collective action. She drew a clear distinction between “her” boys and the owners and politicians destroying the promise of republicanism. Mother Jones could be saucy and she could be blunt, using the language of working men and questioning their manhood whenever they cowed before the bosses, but she fought for her boys and they loved her for it.

Mother Jones could also be tender. Even as she directed her caustic speeches and ferocious anger at the corrupt and the powerful she demonstrated her concern for the plight of children. She tried to help child workers in the rope factories and the cotton mills of the South. She led striking families on a “Crusade” to berate President Theodore Roosevelt on the front porch of his vacation home. She organized “mop and broom” brigades to bring mothers into the fight and engage the children in strikes. Her struggle included the oppressed of all ages.

The spirit of Mother Jones was born in Catholic Cork and her understanding of Jesus as a radical advocate of fairness and equality. It was fertilized by lessons of her revolutionary Irish forbears. The spirit of Mother Jones took shape in the private sorrows of her young adulthood and then bore fiery fruit across the picket lines where she helped to re-shape labor’s demands and victories and bring about a new, better future.

Jimmy Crowley to play at Mother Jones festival

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Jimmy Crowley

 

We are delighted to announce that Cork’s favourite troubadour, Jimmy Crowley, will give an afternoon performance at the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival on Wednesday, July 31st.

Jimmy was born in Douglas in Cork and took up singing in the late 60s and he formed a group known as Stokers Lodge called after a landmark in Douglas where local huntsmen met for a day’s sport. He started writing songs in 1971.

As well as writing his own songs he also encouraged and promoted older working class ballads and long lost songs from all over Cork. He ran the legendary folk club at Douglas GAA club for many years. Jimmy likes to be among the real people of Cork City and to sing songs of hunters, sportsmen, deeds of valour, great and little events, the topics of conversation of the ordinary people.

His first album “The Boys of Fairhill” released in 1997, contained such classics as the Pool Song, Johnny Jump Up, Salonika, The Armoured Car and of course The Boys of Fairhill. This was followed by a second album “Camphouse Ballads” and “Some Things Never Change”. Later still “Uncorked” appeared in 1998, while “The Coast of Malabar” appeared in 2000.

Jimmy’s song about the sailing ship, the Asgard II, “My Love is a Tall Ship” is well known among the sailing fraternity. Jimmy has played all over Ireland, Europe and America and is a familiar face in Cork. Jimmy is known as the Bard of Cork and with good reason as his unique style of singing and his love of his native City, and especially the Shandon area is central to his musical vision.

Jimmy is also well known for his wonderful charity work over the years. This was seen in 2010 when the cream of Cork talent -Roy Buckley, Cha & Miah, Billa, Bill (minor)O’ Connell, Seán Óg O hAilpín, Seán Ó Sé and John Spillane led by Jimmy Crowley came together and recorded a song titled: Barracka – Buttera Song especially composed by Richard T. Cooke (Mother Jones Festival Committee) to raise funds to purchase musical instruments in Cork schools – for a very worthy cause.

The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival 2013 will present a unique workshop by Cork’s famous son, Jimmy Crowley: “Songs of the Beautiful City: Jimmy Crowley’s Ethnographical Journey”

Jimmy appears at the Maldron Hotel on Wednesday July 31st from 4.30 to 5.30pm.

Admission is free. Not to be missed!

 

Mother Jones Festival 2013 – Music Programme

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Mother Jones Festival Concerts 2013

Admission Free

The following is line up for the Mother Jones Theatrical Musical Concert in the Firkin Crane, Wednesday,July 31st at 9pm is as follows:

Group: Cork Rokk Choir who will perform a medley of songs from the Mother Jones area for ( 15 minutes).

Next we will have Cork Shakespearean Company who will perform a MJ monologue for ( 7 minutes).

James P. McCarthy, Musician/Singer will perform more MJ songs (15 minutes ).

Shakespearean Company will then performing another theatrical monologue on MJ (7 minutes).

Muddy Lee will blast out Cork Songs and the new Mother Jones song titled: A True Cork Rebel by (15 minutes ).

William Hammond and friends will finish off the Concert with some popular high spirited tunes.

 

 

Maldron Hotel Concerts 2013

Wednesday, July 31st – 10.00pm:  Hank Wedel & Friends

Tuesday, July 30th – 9.30pm: The very popular Cork Singer’s Club.

Lunch Time Concerts

Wednesday, July 31st – 1pm – 2pm: Cork Rokk Choir members will perform popular songs and Muddy Lee performing good auld songs of Cork as part of the Gathering as well as the Mother Jones Song titled: A True Cork Rebel.

Thursday, August 1st – 1pm -2pm: Cork Memory Lane Group will perform popular songs.

Jimmy Crowley Workshop

Wednesday, July 31st at 4.30pm – Jimmy Crowley with Songs of the Beautiful City.
Admission Free

 

Thursday, August 1st – Mother Jones Day

Maldron Hotel at 10.00pm – Two Time Polka

 

 

 

Andy Irvine Concert

Firkin Crane Centre, Smurfit Theatre, Shandon

Thursday, August 1st at 8pm

Tickets  €15 each

Tickets available from http://www.tickets.ie and the Maldron Hotel, Shandon, Cork

Andy Irvine returns to Shandon

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Venue: Firkin Crane, Shandon, Cork

Tickets: €15 from tickets.ie or

from the Maldron Hotel, Shandon or phone Jim on 0861651356

Andy Irvine - a unique performance at Shandon

Andy Irvine

 

Andy Irvine is a truly legendary figure in Irish folk music. Born in London in 1942, he recently celebrated his 71st birthday. Andy has been ‘on the road” for almost 50 years.

He was one of the original folkies associated with O’Donoghue’s Pub in Dublin and an early devotee of the music and songs of Woody Guthrie, the centenary of whose birth falls on the 14th July.

In 1966, he and his friends Joe Dolan and Johnny Moynihan came together to form Sweeney’s Men and a unique sound involving the interplay of bouzouki and mandolin worked itself into Irish folk music consciousness. “Waxie’s Dargle, Old Man in the Garret and Sullivan John” came from that wild period.

Always traveling, always meeting other musicians, always learning, Andy explored the folk traditions of Eastern Europe, Romania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, all behind the iron curtain through the 60s and 70s. His trips to County Clare inspired him further! He has traveled extensively in the USA and Australia picking up songs and tunes as he goes.

The recording of the Christy Moore album Prosperous in 1971 brought together Christy Moore, Andy, Donal Lunny and Liam O’Flynn, who afterwards formed Planxty in 1972.

Their first album, known as the Black Album remains another milestone recording in Irish Folk music. Classics such as “Sweet Thames flow softly”, “The West Coast of Clare” by Andy himself and “Only our Rivers run Free” remain as landmarks in Irish folk tradition.

Albums such as “The Well Below the Valley” and “Cold Blow and Rainy Night” soon followed in a later period by “After the Break” and “The Woman I loved so Well” are remembered with affection by Irish folk music lovers.

Andy has toured extensively with many Irish folk musicians over the years such as Paul Brady, Mick Hanly, Donal and Kevin Burke, Arty McGlynn, Jackie Daly. Later still in the 80s Andy played with a group Mosaic along with Hans Theesink and others. Later still he was a member of Patrick Street. This was followed by Mozack with Donal Lunny and with Bruce Molsky adding Appalachian tunes.

His solo 2010 album Abocurragh, produced by Donal Lunny, contains the track “The Spirit of Mother Jones” inspired by his visit to the grave of Mother Jones in the union Miners Cemetery near Mount Olive in Illinois.

Andy remains active in trade union matters and is current President of the Musicians Union of Ireland

His visit to Cork to play a fundraising concert during the Mother Jones Festival in the famous Shandon Bells Church (St. Anne’s Shandon) on the evening of Wednesday August 1st 2012 was a major highlight of the Mother Jones Festival. Also his practical support for the event from its inception was much appreciated by all the committee.

We are really delighted to welcome Andy back again for the 2013 event. This time the venue is the Firkin Crane stage and a fantastic concert is planned for Thursday evening of Mother Jones Day, August 1st.

This festival fundraising concert begins at 8pm and tickets are 15 euro each. Capacity is limited to just over 200, tickets can be obtained from http://www.tickets.ie or phone Jim on 0861651356. They are also available at the Maldron Hotel and will be on sale at the festival until they are sold out.

Note, entry to all other events, lectures, films and music sessions is free on a first come, first served basis.