Mary Harris was born in city in 1837. Her mother Industrial Workers of the World, known as the Wobblies in Mother Jones Festival was Ellen Cotter from Inchigeelagh while her father was Chicago in 1905. Later she became active in the Socialist Richard Harris. On the 1st August 1837, Mary Harris was bap - Party of America and became very friendly with Eugene tized in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Cork, by Fr. John O’Mahony. Debs, its leader. She supported the Mexican revolution and AUGUST 1st 2012 her assistance was acknowledged by Pancho Villa. Later in her autobiography published in 1925, Mother Jones proudly affirms her Cork roots when she declared in the very She continued her labour organizing activities into her 70s SHANDON, CORK first line, “I was born in Cork city, ”. and 80s. She was very active in the West Virginia and Col - orado “Coal Wars” in 1913 and 1914, which led to the infa - Ellen Cotter and Richard Harris had married in Inchigeelagh mous Ludlow Massacre in April 1914. She was arrested and in 1834 and their first son, Richard was born in 1835. Other imprisoned without charge many times and featured in children, Catherine 1840, Ellen 1845 and William 1846, later countless newspaper articles as she defended the miners and completed the Harris family. railed against injustice and shocking working conditions. d fight like h d an ell The family of seven survived the Great Famine in Cork but by Her courage in facing down the private armies of the mine a fo de r the early 1850s all were living in Toronto in Canada, having en - owners made her a national hero among union activists. Her e t h h dured the coffin ships and the mass emigration from Ireland. fiery and passionate speeches drew thousands of people t e l and her independent comments made her many enemies, but r i o v f Mary initially became a teacher but also trained as a seam - no one could silence Mother Jones. i n y stress. She married George Jones, an iron moulder, in 1860 g a . r and settled in Memphis Tennessee. They lived through the She eventually passed away on 30th November 1930 and is ”

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American Civil War and went on to have four children, buried at the Union Miners Cemetery at Mount Olive in Illi - “ Catherine (1862), Elizabeth (1863), Terence (1865) and Mary nois. Tens of thousands attended her funeral and the un - (1867). Tragedy struck in late 1867 when Memphis was hit by veiling of her memorial, today her grave is place of a yellow fever epidemic and Mary’s entire family died within pilgrimage for many. a few days of each other. She later moved to Chicago, set up Mother Jones may be silent now but her passion against in - a business which was burned in the Great Chicago fire of justice endures forever! 1871. Finally on 1st August 2012, on the 175th Anniversary of her Mother Jones. baptism in Cork, Mary Harris and Mother Jones will be rec - Mary became active in union activities in Chicago at a time ognized for the first time in her native city of Cork. Come and celebrate the 175th Anniversary when America was witnessing unprecedented industrial of the birth of Cork woman, Mary Harris, change. She was involved with the Knights of Labour and Mother Jones has come home at last! known as Mother Jones on Wednesday 1st witnessed the huge rail strikes of 1877 and was aware of the Haymarket incident in Chicago in 1886. She later became a August 2012 at Shandon, Cork City. union organizer for the United Mine workers Union of America, which had been founded in 1890 and took an ac - Our thanks to, Cork City Council, SIPTU, the Events include the unveiling of a com- tive part in the march of Coxey’s unemployed army in 1894. Maldron Hotel, the Cathedral Credit Union, m emo ra ti ve pl aqu e, c on cer ts, mu sic, Shandon Area Renewal Association, Cork Coun - film, exhibitions, Mother Jones lecture As her union and labour activities deepened, she traveled a nd the Bells of Sha ndon . throughout America organizing workers in mines, mills and cil of Trade Unions, Arthur Leahy, Rosemary factories. Her sense of outrage at the sight of thousand of Feurer, Marat Moore, Prof. Elliott Gorn, North Fea tu r in g: A n dy Ir vi ne, The B utter young children working long hours in the mills and mines Cathedral, St.Annes Shandon, the , Ex c han ge B an d, Co rk Si nger s Cl ub, led her to organize the famous march of the Mill Children Andy Irvine, William Hammond, National Sculp - Ha n k W edel, P r of. Elli ott G o rn , from Pennsylvania to the summer home of President Roo - Ma r a t Mo o re, Ro sema r y Fe ur er a nd sevelt in 1903. ture Factory, Festival, the Cork man y other s. Her organizing activities among the miners of West Virginia Archives Institute and to the people of Cork. and Pennsylvania in which she displayed extraordinary Cork Mother Jones Commemoration Venues include: Firkin Crane, St.Annes courage led to her being called “Mother Jones” by the min - Committee 2012. Shandon, and the Maldron Hotel ers whom she called in turn “her boys”. She was by now rec - ognized as one of the most famous woman in American. www.motherjones175.wordpress.com Cork Mother Jones Commemorative Committee She was the only woman present at the foundation of the phone: 0863196063 and Shandon Street Festival. “The Gathering” “The Main Event” “Afters”

This will feature a Mother Jones day long bus tour tak - 19.00.T MUEaSldDrAonY H31ostet l,J UShLaY n2d0on12. 10.00W. MEDaNssE aSt tDhAe YNo1rstht CAaUtGheUdSraT l w2h0e1r2 e Mary THURSDAY 2nd AUGUST 2012 Harris was baptised, with Hugh Moynihan, tenor ing in Shandon, Cobh and Inchigeelagh, the locations and Norman O’Rourke, bagpipes. associated with Mary Harris. Departing 11.30am Official Irish premiere of from the Maldron Hotel. Tickets at the Hotel Recep - Mother Jones, America’s 10.45. Guided Tour of the North Cathedral. tion from 1st July. Most Dangerous Woman. In attendance to present 11.45. Talk on the history of the Shandon area. and discuss the film will be Rosemary Feurer, pro - 12.15. Official opening of the Mother Jones ducer and director. exhibition at the Firkin Crane. Refreshments.

13.00. Concert at the Firkin Crane, with the Cork Memory Lane Group snd the Active Pulse Drama Group. 21.30. Music and songs at the Maldron Hotel to celebrate Mother Jones with the Cork Singers 15.00. Inaugural Mother Jones lectures and dis - Club. cussion with Professor Elliott J Gorn, Professor of History at Brown University, Providence, RI and Marat Moore, former US miner, writer and labour union activist. Firkin Crane. Grave of Mother Jones, Mount Olive, Illinois. 18.37. The Shandon Bells ring out across Cork City to celebrate Mother Jones.

18.45. The Butter Exchange Band recital for Mother Jones with President Mother Jones at the steps of Shandon. Coolidge 19.30. Official unveiling of the Mother Jones plaque at John Redmond St. Shandon. “Her admirers called her labor’s Joan of Arc and the (Sculptor, Mick Wilkins) miners’ angel; enemies labeled her a danger radical— Concert, “Freedom Bells” with Andy Irvine indeed, the most dangerous woman in America.” 20.30. at St. Anne’s Shandon. (booking www.tickets.ie) Professor Elliott J Gorn. Mother Jones, The Most 21.30 Mother Jones music, song and dance at Dangerous Woman in America. the Maldron Hotel featuring, Hank Wedel, Two Time Polka and a host of musicians, singers and dancers.