When Williams Cole steps onto the stage at Bainbridge’s Lynwood Theater on Aug. 14, he won’t just be a filmmaker introducing his documentary. He’ll be the great-grandson of a woman who helped shape Ireland’s destiny – and whose story has been waiting over a century to be told.
That woman is Mary Jane O’Donovan Rossa, an Irish revolutionary who fought alongside her husband, Jeremiah, in the struggle for independence from Britain. Her name faded into the margins of history books. Until now.
Cole’s film, Rebel Wife, dives into the life and sacrifices of this remarkable woman. But the story doesn’t end on screen. Since the documentary’s release in Ireland, Cole has found himself embraced as a kind of “rebel royalty,” swept into a wave of cultural pride he never quite expected.
On Bainbridge Island, his personal journey is the centerpiece of An Irish Evening, an event designed to be far more than a film screening.
“I want this screening to be a whole experience,” says Eileen O’Grady, an event organizer and member of the Irish Heritage Club Seattle, a co-sponsor. “Not just a movie, but a celebration of music, history and the bonds that tie Ireland and America together.”
Filmmaker Williams Cole honors his roots: Great-grandmother Mary Jane (left), rebel poet, and great-grandfather Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa (right), famed Fenian through his powerful Irish documentary, Rebel Wife.
The evening will open with the sound of Irish music drifting through the summer air. Local performers, including acclaimed opera and musical theater artist Stephanie Reese and Zach Tupper’s Irish band, will fill the theater with traditional and modern Irish tunes.
Inside, guests can try their luck at Irish trivia and hope to win a $150 gift certificate from Celtic Crossroads, the Bainbridge Irish shop helping host the event.
But at its heart, this gathering is about connection. It’s about rekindling the spark of Irish heritage in the Pacific Northwest. O’Grady hopes people leave thinking not only about Ireland’s past but also its vibrant present – a country now thriving economically, socially and culturally.
“People forget how recent this history is,” O’Grady says. “It’s only a few generations ago that families like Williams’ were fighting for freedom. And today, Ireland is one of the most progressive nations in the world. That’s a story worth sharing.”
For Cole, O’Grady and for the Bainbridge community, Aug. 14 will serve as a night where history, music and heritage cross paths – and where an Irish story comes full circle.
Attendees can purchase tickets through the Historic Lynwood Theater.
