Rebel Wife film for local screenings

A FILM highlighting the extraordinary life of Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa, wife of Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, will be screened in West Cork next month for the first time at this year’s Fastnet Film Festival.

‘Rebel Wife’ features on Thursday, May 23rd, as part of the festival in Schull which runs from Wednesday, May 22nd to Sunday, May 26th.

It will also be filmed in Mary Jane’s home town of Clonakilty, in the Park Cinema on Sunday, May 26th at 7 pm.

The documentary film is directed by Williams Rossa Cole, the great-grandson of Mary Jane and Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa.

Williams Cole will be present at the screening and for a Q&A afterwards.

‘Rebel Wife’ looks at the contributions of Mary Jane to Ireland’s fight for freedom alongside her more famous husband.

Born Mary Jane Irwin in Clonakilty, the film narrates her life, from her controversial marriage at 19, to her emergence as a public speaker and Republican fundraiser in the US, where she campaigned for Irish independence and highlighted the plight of imprisoned Irish nationalists, including her husband.

‘Rebel Wife’ received its world premiere at the IndieCork Film Festival in Cork in December.

This year will mark the 14th Fastnet Film Festival, an event which brings short movie events to the town ‘with no cinema’.