Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
Republic of Ireland/ Éire/ Poblacht na h'Eirean (Female
suffrage 1918/22. Local suffrage in 1898) Formerly a British Crown Colony,
independent Free State 1922, Republic 1937
Also see Ireland Parliament and Ireland Heads of State
In Ireland the Premier Minister is known as the Taoiseach and the Deputy Premier Minister as Tánaiste.
1837-1901 Victoria By the Grace of
God of the United Kingdom and Ireland Queen, Defender of the Faith, Empress of
India
1919-21
Provisoric
Minister of Labour
Countess Constance Markiewicz
1921-22
Minister of Labour
A Commander during the 1916 uprising and arrested for the first of several
times by the British authorities. 1917 President of
Cumann na mBan
and 1918 President of Sinn Fein in Dublin,
1918 elected the first female Member of House of Commons in the United Kingdom,
but refused to take her seat. Elected member of the first Dáil Éireann, the unilaterally-declared Parliament of the Irish Republic and
re-elected to the Second Dáil in the House of Commons of Southern Ireland elections of 1921. She lleft government in January 1922 along with Éamon de Valera and others in opposition to the Anglo-Irish Treaty. She fought actively for the Republican cause in the Irish Civil War. Reelected
in 1923, but did not take her seat. She joined Fianna Fáil on its foundation in 1926, chairing the inaugural meeting. Reelected again in 1927 but died before she could take up her seat. Born as
Constance
Gore-Booth, waz married to the Polish Count Kazimierz Dunin-Markiewicz, and lived (1868-1927)
1977-79 Parliamentary Secretary of Industry and Energy Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
1979-81 Minister of the Gaeltacht (Gaelic or Irish speaking areas)
1982 Minister of Youth and Sports
1987-91 Minister of State of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) with Responsibility
as Co-ordinator of Government Policy and for European Questions
1992-93 Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism
1993-94 Minister of Justice (Fourth in the Cabinet)
Member of the Dael (TD) 1975-97, Deputy President of Fíanna Faíl 1979-81, in 1997 she announced that she would challenge Bertie Ahern for the position when Reynolds retired. However on the day of the vote she withdrew from the contest. (b. 1945- )
1981-82 Minister of Health and
Social Affairs Eileen Desmond
Labour TD 1965-69 and 1973-79 and 1981-87, Senator 1969-73 and Member of the European Parliament 1979-81.
1981-82 Leader of the Government in
the Senate Gemma Hussey
1982-86 Minister of Education
1986-87 Minister of Social Welfare
Fine Gael Senator 1977-82, TD 1982-89.
(b. 1938-)
1981-82 Minister of State of Social
Affairs and Health Maria Diana Flaherty
TD for Fine Gael 1981-97.
(b. 1953-)
1986-87 Minister of State
in the Office of the Taoiseach and Justice Nuala Fennell
TD for Fine Gael 1981-92.
(b. 1935-)
1986-87 Minister of State of Finance and Environment Avril Doyle
1994-97 Minister of State of The Deputy Premier, Finance, Transport,
Energy and Communication (Special responsibility for Consumers of Public Services)
Mayor of Wexford 1976-77, TD for Fine Gael 1982-89 and 1992-97, Senator 1989-92 and 1997-2002, Member of the European Parliament from 1999 and Vice-Chairperson of the European People's Party. (b. 1949-).
1987-91 Minister of Education Mary O'Rourke
1991-92 Minister of Health
1992-93 Minister of State of Industry and Commerce (Special responsibilty for Trade
and Marketing)
1993-94 Minister of State of Employment and Enterprises (Special responsibilty
for Labour)
1993-97 Member of the Council of State
1997-2002 Minister of Public Enterprises, Transport, Energy and Communication
(Fourth in the Cabinet)
Chairperson of the District Council of Athloe 1980-81, 1984-85, and 1986-87, Member of the Dail 1982-2002 and from 2007. Senator 2002-07.
Candidate for the leadership of Fíanna Faíl and the post of
Taoiseach/Prime Minister 1992, Deputy Party Leader 1994-2002 and Party leader in the Senate 2002-07. (b 1937-)
1989-92 Minister of State of Environment
Mary Harney
1997-2006 Deputy Premier/Tánaiste
1997-2004 Minister of Enterprise and Employment and
Minister of Trade
2004- Minister of Health and Children
Finna Fael Senator 1977-81 and TD since 1981. Founding member of the Progressive Democrats 1986,
Chief Whip 1988-89, Deputy Leader 1989-93 and Party Leader 1993-2006, Acting Party Leader 2007-08 when the party went from 8 to two
seats in Parliament. (b. 1954-)
1990-97 President Mary Robinson (3.12-12.9)
In 1969 appointed Professor of Law, 1970-90 Labour-senator, Mother of two
children, 1997-2002 Assistant Secretary General and United Nations High Commissioner of
Human Rights
The Gaelic version of her name is
Máire Mhic Roíbín(b. 1944-)
1993-94 and 1994-97 Minister of Education Niamh Bhreathnach
Deputy Chairperson 1989-90 and Chairperson of the Labour Party 1990-93. TD 1992-97. (b.
1946-)
1993-94 Minister of State of Social
Welfare responsible for Poverty Jane Burton
1994-97 Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Special responsibilty for Development Aid) and Justice
Labour TD 1992-92 and from 2002, when she became Spokesperson
for Finance after loosing the election for the party deputy leadership in
2004, but she was elected Deputy Leader in
2007. (b. 1949-)
1993-94 Minister of State
in the Office of the Tánaiste
and Finance Eithne FitzGerald
1994-97 Minister of State of the Tánaiste and Enterprises and Employment
(Special responsibilty for Labour Affairs) (Labour Minister)
Labour TD 1992-97
(b. 1950-)
1994-97 Minister of Justice Nora Owen
TD for Fine Gael 1981-87 and 1989-2002, Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs 1989-92 and 1993-94, Deputy Party Leader
1993-2002 until she lost her seat. She is
Grand-niece of Michael Collins (1890-1922), head of the Provisorial Government
1922 and sister of Mary Banotti, Presidential candidate in 1997.(b. 1945-)
1994-97 Minister of State of
Environment and Local Government Liz McManus
1997- President Mary McAleese (11.11-)
Professor of Law, 1993-97 Prochancellor of University of Belfast, the first
person from Northern Ireland and British citizen to be elected President of
Ireland. The Gaelic version of her name is Máire Mhic Giollalósa (b. 1951- )
1997-2002 Minister of Arts,
Heritage, Gaeltacht and The Islands Síle de Valera
2002-06 Minister of State of Education and Science (Special responsibility for Adult Education, Youth Affairs and Educational
Disadvantage)
Finna Fail TD 1977-81 and 1987-2007.
Grand-daughter of Prime Minister and President Éamon de Valera (1882-1979).
1997-2002 Minister of State of
Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Overseas Development Assistance
and Human Rights Liz O’Donnell
2002 Minister of State to the Government (Cabinet Minister)
TD 1992-2007, Party
Whip 1993-97 and Deputy Leader of the Progressive
Democrats from 2006.
(b. 1956-)
1997-2002 Minister of State of
Justice, Law Reform and Equality (special responsibility for Equality and
Disabilities)
2006-
Minister of State at the Department of
Agriculture and Food
(special responsibility for Forestry) Mary Wallace
Fianna Fail Senator 1987-89, MT from 1989,
From 2007 she was the only woman among the 18 Ministers of State. There are 3 female and 12 male Cabinet Ministers.
(b. 1959-).
2000-02 Minister of State at the
Department of Health and Children, at the Department of Justice, Equality and
Law Reform and at the Education of Education and Science (Secial
responsibility for Children)
2002-04 Minister of State of the Taoiseach (Special
responsibilty for
Information Society) and Government Chief
Whip (Attending Cabinet Meetings) and Minister of State of Defence
2004-08 Minister of Education and Science
2008- Minister of Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin
2001-02 Minister of State (with special responsibility for the Gaeltacht
and the Islands) Mary Coughlan
2002-04 Minister of Social Security and Family Affairs
2008- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment
Fianna Faril TD since 1987.
From 2007 2 of the 16 Ministers were women. Both her father and uncle were
MP's. (b. 1965-).
2007-
Fianna Fáil TD for 2002. From 2007 2 of the 20 Ministers of State were women. (b. 1963-).
Last update 08.05.08