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FORMER WOMEN MEMBERS
OF SEANAD ÉIREANN
The first table on this page lists the
women who belonged to the Senate of the Irish Free State, and the second
table (accurate as at August 2008) lists all former women members
of the Senate created by the 1937 constitution. The 1922 constitution
provided for an upper house of sixty members, half nominated by the Taoiseach
and half elected by TDs for twelve year terms (nine years from 1928).
Vacancies were to be filled by popular election, but after one disordered
election in 1925 (at which no women were elected) they were discontinued
in 1928 and replaced with selection by both houses of the Oireachtas.
The Seanad was abolished in 1936 but revived by the new constitution of
the following year with reduced powers.
Like the first Seanad this body has sixty
members, though its life-span is connected to that of the Dáil. Eleven
senators are nominated by the Taoiseach, six are elected by the National
University of Ireland and University of Dublin, and forty-three are elected
to one of five vocational panels representing Agriculture, Culture and
Education, Industry, Labour, and Public Administration. Table
2b gives a gender breakdown of the Senate for each election from 1938.
Current senators are listed here. If you would
like to print this page click here
for a Word document containing these tables.
Table 1: Former women senators, 1922 to 1936
|
Name
|
Party
|
Elected
or nominated
by
|
Dates
|
|
Eileen
Costello
|
Fine
Gael
|
Dáil
|
1922-36
|
|
Countess
of Desart
|
Unionist
|
Taoiseach
|
1922-33
|
|
Alice
Stopford Green
|
Independent
|
Dáil
|
1922-29
|
|
Jennie
Wyse Power
|
Sinn
Féin, Cumann na nGaedheal (1933-)
|
Taoiseach
|
1922-36
|
|
Kathleen
Clarke
|
Sinn
Féin
|
Dáil
|
1928-36
|
|
Kathleen
Browne
|
Cumann
na nGaedheal,
Army comrades (1933-)
|
Dáil
|
1929-36
|
Table 2a: Former women
senators, 1938 to 2007
|
Name
|
Party
|
Panel
|
Dates
|
|
Helena
Concannon
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
National
University of Ireland
|
1938-52
|
|
Linda
Kearns-MacWhinney
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1938
|
|
Margaret
Kennedy
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1938-48
|
|
Margaret
Mary Pearse
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Administrative
|
1938-68
|
|
Eleanor
Butler
|
Labour
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1948-51
|
|
Mary
Davidson
|
Labour
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1950-51
1954-69
|
|
Jane
Dowdall
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1951-61
|
|
Nora
Connolly-O’Brien
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1957-69
|
|
Catherine
‘Kit’ Ahern
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee,
Cultural & Educational (1969-)
|
1964-77
|
|
Eileen
Desmond
|
Labour
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1969-73
|
|
Evelyn
Owens
|
Labour
|
Labour
|
1969-77
|
|
Mary
Robinson
(Bourke
to 1970)
|
Independent,
Labour (1976-85)
|
University
of Dublin
|
1969-89
|
|
Peggy
Farrell
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1969-73
|
|
Mary
Walsh
|
Fine
Gael
|
Cultural
& Educational
|
1973-76
|
|
Eileen
Cassidy
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1977-81
|
|
Valerie
Goulding
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1977-81
|
|
Mary
Harney
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1977-81
|
|
Tras
Honan
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Administrative
|
1977-93
|
|
Gemma
Hussey
|
Independent,
Fine Gael (1980-)
|
National
University of Ireland
|
1977-82
|
|
Catherine
McGuinness
|
Independent
|
University
of Dublin
|
1979-82
1983-87
|
|
Deirdre
Bolger
|
Fine
Gael
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1981
|
|
Katharine
Bulbulia
|
Fine
Gael, Prog. Dem.
|
Administrative
|
1981-89
|
|
Miriam
Kearney
|
Fine
Gael
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1981-82
|
|
Patsy
Lawlor
|
Fine
Gael
|
Cultural
& Educational
|
1981-82
|
|
Camilla
Hannon
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1982
|
|
Monica
Barnes
|
Fine
Gael
|
Labour
|
1982
|
|
Madeleine
Taylor-Quinn
|
Fine Gael
|
Cultural & Educational
|
1982,
1993-2002
|
|
Helena
McAuliffe-Ennis
|
Labour,
Progressive Democrat (1985-)
|
Cultural
& Educational
|
1983-87
|
|
Bríd
Rodgers
|
Independent
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1983-87
|
|
Nuala
Fennell
|
Fine
Gael
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee, Labour (1987-)
|
1987-89
|
|
Olga
Bennett
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1989-93
|
|
Carmencita
Hederman
|
Independent
|
University
of Dublin
|
1989-93
|
|
Mary
Jackman
|
Fine
Gael
|
Labour
|
|
|
Avril
Doyle
|
FIne Gael
|
Agricultural
|
|
|
Ann
Gallagher
|
Labour
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1993-97
|
|
Cathy
Honan
|
Progressive
Democrat
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1993-97
|
|
Mary
Kelly
|
Labour
|
Cultural
& Educational
|
1993-97
|
|
Jan O’Sullivan
|
Labour
|
Administrative
|
1993-97
|
|
Niamh Bhreathnach
|
Labour
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1997
|
|
Niamh
Cosgrave
|
Fine
Gael
|
Taoiseach’s
nominee
|
1997
|
|
Therese
Ridge
|
Fine Gael
|
Labour
|
|
|
Helen
Keogh
|
Prog. Dems.,
Fine Gael (2000-)
|
Taoiseach's
nominee
|
|
|
Ann
Leonard
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach's
nominee
|
|
|
Máirín
Quill
|
Progressive
Democrat
|
Taoiseach's
nominee
|
|
|
Joanne
Tuffy
|
Labour
|
Administrative
|
2002
- 2007
|
|
Kathleen O'Meara
|
Labour
|
Agricultural
|
1997-2007
|
|
Margaret Cox
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
1997-2007
|
|
Sheila Terry
|
Fine Gael
|
Industrial
& Commercial
|
2002
- 2007
|
|
Mary Henry
|
Non-party
|
Dublin
University (Trinity College)
|
1993-2007
|
|
Mary O'Rourke
|
Fianna
Fáil
|
Taoiseach's
nominee
|
2002
- 2007
|
|
Kate Walsh
|
Progressive
Democrat
|
Taoiseach's
nominee
|
2002
- 2007
|
Table 2b: Senate compsition by gender,
1938 to 2007
|
Date
|
Women
|
Men
|
%
Women
|
|
April 1938
|
4
|
56
|
7
|
|
Aug. 1938
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1943
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1944
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1948
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1951
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1954
|
3
|
57
|
5
|
|
1957
|
4
|
56
|
7
|
|
1961
|
4
|
56
|
7
|
|
1965
|
4
|
56
|
7
|
|
1969
|
5
|
55
|
8
|
|
1973
|
4
|
56
|
7
|
|
1977
|
6
|
54
|
10..
|
|
1981
|
9
|
51
|
15..
|
|
April 1982
|
8
|
52
|
13..
|
|
Jan. 1983
|
7
|
53
|
12..
|
|
1987
|
5
|
55
|
8
|
|
1989
|
6
|
54
|
10..
|
|
1993
|
8
|
52
|
13..
|
|
1997
|
11
|
49
|
18..
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
12
|
48
|
20
|
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