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.
Table 1: Former women senators, 1922 to 1936
Name / Party / Elected ornominated 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
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 / 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
Taylor-Quinn, Madeleine / Fine Gael / Cultural & Educational / 1982, 1993-2002
Monica Barnes / Fine Gael / Labour / 1982
Helena McAuliffe-Ennis / Labour, PD (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 / 1989-93, 1997-2002
Avril Doyle / Fine Gael / Agricultural / 1989-92, 1997-2002
Ann Gallagher / Labour / Industrial & Commercial / 1993-97
Cathy Honan / PD / 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
Helen Keogh / PD, Fine Gael (2000-) / Taoiseach’s nominee / 1997-2002
Therese Ridge / Fine Gael / Labour / 1997-2002
Máirín Quill / PD / Taoiseach’s nominee / 1997-2002
Ann Leonard / Fianna Fáil / Taoiseach’s nominee / 1997-2002
Joanne Tuffy / Labour / Administrative / 2002-2007
Kathleen O’Meara / Labour / Agriculture / 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: Senators by gender, 1938 to 2007
Date / Women / Men / % WomenApril 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
2002 / 10 / 50 / 17
2007 / 12 / 48 / 20
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