Ireland’s (indeed Europe’s) first female Cabinet Minister was appointed in April 1919.
By Eamon de Valera, President of Dail Eireann
She had been elected as a Sinn Fein candidate to the first Parliament of a Sovereign
Republic 33 days after the guns fell silent in the Great War waged by Britain on the
pretext of upholding the rights of nations (even small ones) to self determination.
She had carried and discharged firearms in Easter Week 1916 wearing the uniform
of the Irish Citizen Army led by the Marxist James Connolly and the voters in 1918
had endorsed the Proclamation of the Republic ow which he was a signatory.
The IRISH REPUBLIC was the first, if not the only National State established by Popular
vote.
The First Woman Cabinet Minister in Ireland was named Constance Markievicz.
She died on 15th July 1927 and was a founder member of Fianna Fail the previous year.
Her leader was Eamon de Valera.
Fianna Fail did not form a Government until 1932 and had no members attending
the Dail in 1927.
Constance Markievicz had a huge funeral whose attendance wore neither silk hats
nor other finery.
Far bigger than the funeral of the Vice President of the Executive Council of the
Irish Free State, Kevin O’Higgins of Cumann na Gael, who had been assassinated
five days before Constance’s death.
I read an obituary which claimed that Fine Gael’s Gemma Hussey of Fine Gael
was Ireland’s first female cabinet minister.
She became a Minister in 1982. Markievicz in 1919.
Do the Maths.
Should there be a Department for Amnesia with a Minister attached?
Comments are closed.