“Rebel Wife” film tells the story of Clonakilty heroine Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa

The gripping story of Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa is vividly portrayed in the new documentary “Rebel Wife”, produced by her great-grandson Williams Rossa Cole.

A newly released documentary explores the life of Mary Jane Irwin, the third wife of the famous Fenian Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa. “Rebel Wife – The Story of Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa” was produced and directed by the couple’s great-grandson, Williams Rossa Cole.

“Rebel Wife” portrays the life of this extraordinary Irish female revolutionary, highlighting Mary Jane’s origins as well as her remarkable achievements as a poet, author, public speaker, human rights activist, wife and mother.

The docufilm will be screened for free as part of the Fastnet Film Festival programme in Schull this Thursday, 23 May, in the Palace Cinema (Schull Harbour Hotel) at 1:15pm. There will also be a one-off screening this Sunday, 26 May, at 7pm in the Park Cinema in Mary Jane’s hometown of Clonakilty, where some of the footage for the documentary was recorded. Williams Rossa Cole will be in attendance at both events, and there will be question-and-answer sessions after the screenings. Later in the summer, the West Cork History Festival will screen the documentary on Friday, 9 August, at the beautiful Inish Beg estate.

You can also catch the documentary on Thursday, 1 August, at 10:10pm on RTÉ One and for a limited time only, it’s available on the RTÉ Player.

“Rebel Wife” premiered in late 2023 at the IndieCork Film Festival and was also shown in New York earlier this year at the CraicFest. Cole made the film as a companion piece to his “Rebel Rossa”, released in 2016 following the centenary commemorations of O’Donovan Rossa’s death and his famous funeral in Glasnevin Cemetery in 1915, which is recognized as a catalyst for the Easter Rising of 1916.

>>> READ MORE: Tour guide recalls the lesser-known stories of Glasnevin’s dead in new book

Growing up, Cole was instilled with a deep appreciation for Mary Jane’s crucial role in the struggle for Irish freedom. Yet, her contributions were often overshadowed by her husband’s enduring legacy in the eyes of the public. Determined to shine a light on his great-grandmother’s sacrifices for the cause, Cole has succeeded in bringing Mary Jane out of the shadows.

Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa

Mary Jane Irwin was born in 1845 at 2 Main Street in Clonakilty, Co. Cork. This building is now occupied by Coughlan’s Bookshop, while the street itself is now aptly named Rossa Street. Mary Jane, the eldest of 10 siblings, was born to Margaret Keohane of Rosscarbery and Clonakilty native Maxwell Irwin. The family later relocated to Strand House (now An Súgán Guesthouse) on Sand Quay in Clonakilty. The Irwins, as well as being prominent Catholic merchants in the town, were deeply entrenched in nationalist politics.

Mary Jane attended Sacred Heart Convent in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, where she excelled academically. Shortly after leaving school, she fell madly in love with the twice-widowed Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, who was then in his early 30s. Despite objections from her family and the parish priest, 19-year-old Mary Jane married O’Donovan Rossa in 1864.

Before long, Mary Jane was publishing poems in the Irish People, a Fenian newspaper managed by her husband. However, about a year after their wedding, O’Donovan Rossa was arrested and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. The documentary reveals that, while O’Donovan Rossa was imprisoned in England, the British government withheld the couple’s letters to one another, further straining their relationship.

Now alone, Mary Jane gave birth to their first child, James Maxwell, in May 1866. O’Donovan Rossa already had four sons with his first wife, Nora Eager and another son with his second wife, Eileán Ní Bhuachalla. Mary Jane would ultimately bear 13 children, although, tragically, many of them did not survive infancy.

The financial strain soon became unsustainable, prompting Mary Jane to make the difficult decision to leave her one-year-old son behind in Clonakilty and embark on a journey to New York. There, she wrote her book Irish Lyrical Poems and contributed poetry to Irish-American newspapers.

In 1868, Mary Jane commenced a two-year tour across the United States and Canada, delivering talks and lectures. It was during this time that she earned the title “the prison widow”. Her speeches brought widespread attention to the torture endured by O’Donovan Rossa and other incarcerated Irish revolutionaries. These events served multiple purposes: raising funds for herself, her son and her stepchildren, garnering support for the Fenian cause, and collecting donations for the families of other Fenian prisoners.

>>> READ MORE: Life behind bars in Sligo Gaol

All the while, she hoped that the extensive coverage of her speeches in the media would lead to her husband’s release. And finally, in 1871, O’Donovan Rossa was granted amnesty on the condition that he accept exile in America.

Back in the US, Mary Jane tirelessly juggled her roles as a mother and a wife, often also shouldering the family’s financial responsibilities.

On 29 June 1915, after a prolonged illness, Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa passed away on Staten Island. Mary Jane then returned to Ireland with his body, which was laid to rest in Glasnevin Cemetery. It was there that Pádraig Pearse delivered his famous graveside oration.

The following year, in August 1916, Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa passed away at her home on Staten Island. She was buried with considerably less fanfare on Staten Island, thousands of miles away from her husband. Her daughter, Eileen, later commented,

“Mamma was as great a heroine and made as many sacrifices for the cause as Papa did as a man.”

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