CHECK OUT THE RECORDING OF THE ZOOM Q&A HERE:
This event is an exclusive chance to see REBEL WIFE outside of the Republic of Ireland!
Mary Jane Irwin O’Donovan Rossa was one of the most active and effective revolutionary women of her time. At a young age Mary Jane was thrown into supporting her family when her husband Jeremiah was arrested and put into English prisons and tortured for revolutionary activities. She went to New York City to gain support from a fractious Irish diaspora and transformed herself into a speaker, poetry-reader and fundraiser for the Irish political prisoners. Mary Jane then traveled extensively in Canada, England, Ireland and throughout the post-Civil War United States - as far West as Nebraska - and became a celebrity, sometimes commanding an audience of thousands. When her husband was released and exiled in 1871 to a tumultuous New York City Mary Jane seemed to take a backseat to his fame. But over the following decades her unflinching dedication to Irish freedom dictated most of her actions - even including how to handle aspects of her combustible husband. As Rossa lay dying Mary Jane played a pivotal role in organizing his 1915 funeral in Dublin, a massive event that many see as the spark that led to the Easter Rising and eventually the Irish Republic. She died suddenly and in near poverty only months after the revolutionary events of April 1916. While her husband’s funeral was an historical event and he is buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin National Cemetery, honored with multiple monuments around Ireland, Mary Jane is buried in a lonely grave in Staten Island, NY.
As many women in history, her accomplishments are largely unknown or forgotten.
In 2016 I made the film REBEL ROSSA about my great grandfather the famous Fenian Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa. It premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh, broadcast on RTE One and is still streaming on Amazon. At that time I vowed to also make a film about his wife, Mary Jane (Irwin) O'Donovan Rossa, a woman of great tenacity and talent whose story - and contribution to Irish freedom - is largely unknown. I finally did it (with much support and the editing skills of Laure Sullivan)! REBEL WIFE premiered at the IndieCork Film Festival in December 2023 and in 2024 had numerous screenings in the US and Ireland as well as being broadcast on RTE One (where it will be shown for the next few years).
Your ticket also includes a live Q&A on March 30th with director Williams Rossa Cole & Mary Jane expert Judith Campbell (featured in the film) moderated by the eminent Irish historian Christine Kinealy. Also included are 9 "DVD Extras" extras from Rebel Rossa (2016) that have never been streamed before.
Thank you for supporting independent filmmakers trying new venues and for supporting untold stories of women in history!
Rebel Wife review in The Irish Echo
actor Jim Roche reciting the great speech given by P. Pearse over the grave of O'Donovan Rossa on August 1st, 1915 - and a surprise montage at the end!
CHECK OUT THE RECORDING OF THE ZOOM Q&A HERE:
This event is an exclusive chance to see REBEL WIFE outside of the Republic of Ireland!
Mary Jane Irwin O’Donovan Rossa was one of the most active and effective revolutionary women of her time. At a young age Mary Jane was thrown into supporting her family when her husband Jeremiah was arrested and put into English prisons and tortured for revolutionary activities. She went to New York City to gain support from a fractious Irish diaspora and transformed herself into a speaker, poetry-reader and fundraiser for the Irish political prisoners. Mary Jane then traveled extensively in Canada, England, Ireland and throughout the post-Civil War United States - as far West as Nebraska - and became a celebrity, sometimes commanding an audience of thousands. When her husband was released and exiled in 1871 to a tumultuous New York City Mary Jane seemed to take a backseat to his fame. But over the following decades her unflinching dedication to Irish freedom dictated most of her actions - even including how to handle aspects of her combustible husband. As Rossa lay dying Mary Jane played a pivotal role in organizing his 1915 funeral in Dublin, a massive event that many see as the spark that led to the Easter Rising and eventually the Irish Republic. She died suddenly and in near poverty only months after the revolutionary events of April 1916. While her husband’s funeral was an historical event and he is buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin National Cemetery, honored with multiple monuments around Ireland, Mary Jane is buried in a lonely grave in Staten Island, NY.
As many women in history, her accomplishments are largely unknown or forgotten.
In 2016 I made the film REBEL ROSSA about my great grandfather the famous Fenian Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa. It premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh, broadcast on RTE One and is still streaming on Amazon. At that time I vowed to also make a film about his wife, Mary Jane (Irwin) O'Donovan Rossa, a woman of great tenacity and talent whose story - and contribution to Irish freedom - is largely unknown. I finally did it (with much support and the editing skills of Laure Sullivan)! REBEL WIFE premiered at the IndieCork Film Festival in December 2023 and in 2024 had numerous screenings in the US and Ireland as well as being broadcast on RTE One (where it will be shown for the next few years).
Your ticket also includes a live Q&A on March 30th with director Williams Rossa Cole & Mary Jane expert Judith Campbell (featured in the film) moderated by the eminent Irish historian Christine Kinealy. Also included are 9 "DVD Extras" extras from Rebel Rossa (2016) that have never been streamed before.
Thank you for supporting independent filmmakers trying new venues and for supporting untold stories of women in history!
Rebel Wife review in The Irish Echo
actor Jim Roche reciting the great speech given by P. Pearse over the grave of O'Donovan Rossa on August 1st, 1915 - and a surprise montage at the end!
