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.
The narrative of the historic sit-in at the Vita Cortex plant on the Kinsale Road stands as one of the most remarkable chapters in modern Irish labour history. What began on 16 December 2011 as a sudden, devastating announcement of immediate redundancies and denied severance packages transformed into a legendary 161-day campaign of peaceful resistance, dignity, and collective courage. Faced with an unjust corporate closure, a group of dedicated employees, some boasting nearly half a century of loyal service to the firm, refused to accept financial abandonment. Their collective choice to occupy the premises marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey of industrial unity that captured attention across Ireland and far beyond.
The sheer determination of the staff quickly turned a local dispute into an international symbol of workers’ rights. Strength and resilience within the plant were matched by a massive wave of public goodwill. Supporters from all over the world flooded the workers with messages of encouragement, financial aid, and material resources to sustain the occupation which started a week before Christmas.
President Michael D. Higgins receives the Vita Cortex workers at Aras An Uachtaran. Photo: President.ie.
This immense groundswell of public sentiment drew high-profile endorsements from notable figures across cultural, sporting, and political landscapes. The industrial site became a vibrant hub of community action. The workers received high-profile messages of solidarity from Hollywood star Cillian Murphy, who praised their refusal to accept an obvious injustice, and legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who personally called to voice his backing. World-renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky also backed the workers, while iconic singer-songwriter Christy Moore met with the employees and publicised their struggle. Boxing champion Katie Taylor reached out and met the workers, all of this endorsement uplifted their campaign at the time. Letters of support, musical visits, and global advocacy proved that when ordinary workers stand together for baseline dignity, the entire world listens.
Vita Cortex workers celebrate settlement. Photo: RTE.
Through unwavering unity and disciplined organisation, the participants successfully secured their hard-earned redundancy payments, proving that collective mobilisation remains a highly effective tool against corporate neglect. Their historic stand fundamentally reshaped public awareness regarding employment rights and ethical commercial practices in Ireland.
Several years after their historic triumph, veterans of the dispute alongside key campaign supporters will take the stage at the upcoming festival. This celebration provides a vital opportunity to look back on a defining local success, honour the courage of those involved, and reaffirm the eternal relevance of solidarity in the modern era.
Jim Power, one of the leaders of the Vita Cortex sit in who will speak at the Panel Discussion.
This special commemorative panel discussion will take place at The Maldron Hotel, Shandon, Cork, on Saturday, 25th July 2026, commencing at 5:00 pm. Admission is free of charge, all members of the public are very welcome to attend on a first come, first seated basis.
Vita Cortex workers and supporters rally at factory
A documentary on the lengthy struggle of the Vita Cortex workers will be shown at the Mother Jones Festival in Cork on Wednesday, 31st July. The workers sit-in at the Vita Cortex factory has already gone down in the annals of Cork’s long history of worker’s struggle. The 161 day long occupation of the plant at Kinsale Road began on 16th December 2011 after the workers at the factory were told that Friday evening that their jobs were gone and that would be getting no redundancy pay from the company. The shell-shocked workers, some of whom had given as much as 47 years of service to the company, decided this was completely unacceptable and they began a sit in that was to last until 24th May 2012 and gain the workers worldwide notice and respect.
The Vita Cortex occupation showed graphically that a century after the great labour disputes of the early 20th century workers are still under threat from unscrupulous employers and have to fight for every entitlement. While many gains have been made, especially through the efforts of the trade union movement and workers’ blood, sweat and tears, these gains can easily be reversed unless struggle continues and people are prepared to take a stand.
The film “161 Days – the Vita Cortex workers’ struggle” is a bird’s-eye view of the long fight of the workers for a just settlement from their employer. The film, shot by Cork filmmaker Declan O’Connell and produced by his son, Barra, engages with the workers and watches the developing situation as messages of support flood in from around the world. Among those sending messages of support were Sir Alex Ferguson, former footballer Paul McGrath, actor Cillian Murphy, ex-President Mary Robinson, singer Christy Moore and renowned philosopher and commentator Noam Chomsky. The film follows the highs and lows of the workers morale, the solidarity, the protests and the attempts to achieve a just settlement and, finally, the eventual jubilation when the workers succeed. The film will be shown at the Firkin Crane, Shandon at 11.00am on Wednesday, 31st July as part of the Spirit of Mother Jones Festival.
