Workers Solidarity Movement

Chop Shop director Ramin Bahrani Chop Shop is the story of Alejandro a street smart Latino orphan on the verge of adolescence, who works in a Chop Shop ( an illegal breakers yard that sells on stolen car parts ). The Chop Shop is in a sprawling junkyard on the outskirts of Queens, New York.

In this chaotic world of adults, young Alejandro struggles to make a better life for himself and his 16-year-old sister, Isamar.

“ Touching, funny, sad and beautifully observed” Time Out
“ Flawlessly Observed… an unforgiving parable of American economic reality “..Screen International

Solidarity Books is pleased to present the fourth and last talk in our Spring Talks Series: Public consciousness of ‘Rebel Cork’ during the War of Independence conjures images of the martyred Lord Mayors, the burning of the city centre, and flying column ambushes at Kilmichael and elsewhere. However, less obvious and less violent activities were equally important to the success of the independence movement.

On last Tuesday evening at Solidarity Books a small but very interested audience listened to James McBarron of Cork WSM give a talk outlining why people should oppose the impending visit of the queen of England to the Republic of Ireland. In his presentation, he reminded us that the institution of monarchism, the British monarchy in particular because of its historic role, is bound up intimately with the promotion of imperialism, militarism and privilege, and therefore should be opposed.

Patrick Galvin, the renowned Cork writer and socialist, has died.  Born in Margaret Street in Cork in 1927, Paddy was a prodigious and accomplished writer producing many works in poetry and drama, as well as writing the memoir The Raggy Boy Trilogy.  He was also a most accomplished balladeer and many of his early works were in this form.

(Image: Patrick Galvin at his birthday party last summer).

Ama’s Children director Juliano Mer Khamis (2003) Ama’s Children is the story of the children involved in Freedom Theatre set up by an Israel woman Ama Mer Khamis in Jenin Palestine in the early 90’s. A decade later her son returns and finds out what has happened to the children due to the occupation since their involvement in the project. Juliano was murdered in the West Bank recently.

This Sunday, the international celebration of the working class was marked in Cork with the now-traditional May Day march organised by the Independent Workers Union. Cork WSM also marked the occasion by hosting a pair of talks after the march on May Day-related topics at Solidarity Books on Douglas Street. As a finale to the day's festivities, a fundraising cabaret was held for the union and the bookshop that night at the Spailpín Fánach on South Main Street.

Dr. Mary Favier is a Cork based GP and a founder member of Doctors For Choice (Ireland). Active in health politics generally she was
recently involved in the provision of a supporting brief in the
European Court of Human Rights ruling (“the ABC Case”) that condemned the Irish Government’s record on the provision of abortion in Ireland.

Consuming Kids throws desperately needed light on the practices of a
relentless multi-billion dollar marketing machine that now sells kids
and their parents everything from junk food and violent video games to
bogus educational products and the family car. Drawing on the insights
of health care professionals, children’s advocates, and industry
insiders, the film focuses on the explosive growth of child marketing
in the wake of deregulation, showing how youth marketers have used the

Boardgames at the Bookshop every Sunday from 7-10pm in Solidarity Books, 43 Douglas Street (across from Fionn Barra's). New faces always welcome!