The history of Labor Day has long been intertwined with the history of the Irish in America. Among the most influential labor leaders in the United States are Peter McGuire and Matthew Maguire - both of whom could claim to be the ‘Father of Labor Day’ - and Mary ‘Mother’ Jones, one of the founders of Industrial Workers of the World, and affectionately known by mine workers as ‘The Angel of the Camp.’ In New York, Mike Quill transformed the Transit Union and went head to head with the Mayor. Join Mary Courtney and John Kearns in celebration of the contribution made by men and women of Irish descent to the US labor movement for an evening of music and reflection.
Mary Courtney is a traditional Irish singer and guitarist, whose music is inspired both by an Irish upbringing and a progressive social conscience inspired by her political education in the United States.
She will be joined by playwright John Kearns, who will read an excerpt from his work Sons of Molly Maguire, and James Armstrong, who will perform a stirring rendition of Jim Larkin’s famous 1913 speech.