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,
revolutionary Irish Republic declared 1919 and war of indepence until 1922 when
the country became an independent Free State, 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.
1919-21
Provisoric
Minister for Labour
Countess Constance Markiewicz
1921-22
Minister for 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 left 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, was married to the Polish Count Kazimierz Dunin-Markiewicz, and lived (1868-1927)
1977-78 Parliamentary Secretary of Industry and Energy Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
1978-79 Minister for State for Industry and Energy
1979-81 Minister for the Gaeltacht (Gaelic or Irish speaking areas)
1982 Minister of State for Youth and Sports
1987-91 Minister of State in the Office of the Taoiseach with Responsibility
as Co-ordinator of Government Policy and for European Questions
1992-93 Minister for Transport, Communication and Tourism
1993-94 Minister for Justice (Fourth in the Cabinet)
1994 Acting Minister for
Equality and Law Reform
2010- EU-Commissioner
for Research, Innovation and Science
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
and Member of the European Court of Auditors 1999-2009. (b. 1945- )
1981-82
Minister for 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 for Education
1986-87 Minister for Social Welfare
Fine Gael Senator 1977-82, TD 1982-89.
(b. 1938-)
1981-82 Minister of
State for 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 for Finance and Environment Avril Doyle
1994-97 Minister of State for The Deputy Premier, Finance, Transport,
Energy and Communication with 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.
In 2011 she withdrew from the party internal contest for the nomination for
Presidential Candidate. Another unsuccessful candidate was Mairead McGuinness,.(b. 1949-).
1987-91
Minister for Education Mary O'Rourke
1991-92 Minister for Health
1992-93 Minister of State for Industry and Commerce with pecial responsibilty for Trade
and Marketing
1993-94 Minister of State for Employment and Enterprises with special responsibilty
for Labour
1993-97 Member of the Council of State
1997-2002 Minister for 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 2007-11. 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 for Environment
Mary Harney
1997-2006 Deputy Premier / Tánaiste
1997-2004
Minister for Enterprise and Employment and
Minister for Trade
2004-11 Minister for Health and Children
Finna Fael Senator 1977-81 and TD 1981-2011. 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-)
1993-94 and 1994-97 Minister for 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 for Social Welfare responsible for Poverty Joan Burton
1994-97 Minister of State for Foreign Affairs with special responsibilty for Development Aid,
Human Rights and Justice
2011-16 Minister for Social Protection
2014-16 Deputy Premier / Tánaiste
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 and Leader in 2014. She was Finance Spokesperson until 2011. (b. 1949-)
1993-94 Minister of State
in the Office of the Tánaiste
and Finance Eithne FitzGerald
1994-97 Minister of State for the Tánaiste and Enterprises and Employment
with pecial responsibilty for Labour Affairs (Labour Minister)
Labour TD 1992-97
(b. 1950-).
1994-97
Minister for 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 for
Environment and Local Government Liz McManus
1997-2002
Minister for Arts,
Heritage, Gaeltacht and The Islands Síle de Valera
2002-06 Minister of State for Education and Science with 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 for
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 2006-07.
(b. 1956-)
1997-2002 Minister of
State for
Justice, Law Reform and Equality with special responsibility for Equality and
Disabilities
2006-08
Minister of State at the Department of
Agriculture and Food with special responsibility for Forestry
2008-09 Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special
responsibility for Health Promotion and Food Safety Mary Wallace
Fianna Fail Senator 1987-89, TD 1989-2011. From 2007 she was the only woman among the 18 Ministers of State. There we
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 with special
responsibility for Children
2002-04 Minister of
State in the Office of the Taoiseach
with Special
responsibilty for
Information Society, and Government Chief
Whip (Attending Cabinet Meetings) and Minister of State for Defence
2004-08 Minister for Education and Science
2008-10 Minister for Social and Family Affairs
2010-11 Minister for Arts, Sport
and Tourism
2011 Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation 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
2008-11 Deputy Prime Minister
2008-10 Minister for Enterprise Trade and Employment
2010-11 Minister for Education and Science
2011 Minister for Health and Family
Fianna Fail TD 1987-2011
and Deputy Party Leader from 2008.
From 2007 2 of the 16 Ministers were women. Both her father and uncle were
MP's. (b. 1965-).
2007-09
Fianna Fáil
TD 2002-2011. From 2007 2 of the 20 Ministers of State were women. (b. 1963-).
2009-11 Minister of State at the Departments of Health and Children, Social
and Family Affairs and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government with
special responsibility for Older People and Health Promotion Áine Brady
Fianna Fáil
TD 2007-11 and the only woman among 15 Ministers
of State until 2010. In 2011 Fianna Fáil went from
77 to 18 mandates, all of them males (b. 1954-).
2010-11 Minister of State with responsibility for Equality,
Human Rights and Social Inclusion Mary White
Green TD 2007-11 (as their first
woman) and Deputy Party Leader 2001-11. (b. 1948-).
2011-14 Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Frances Fitzgerald
2014- Minister for Justice and Equality
2016-
Deputy Premier / Tánaiste
Senator and
Leader of the Fine Gael group in Seanad Éireann 2007-11 and TD from 2011. (b.
1950-)
2011- Attorney
General Máire Whelan
Former Financial Secretary of Labour. As the
government's legal advisor, she attends Cabinet Meetings without formally being
a member. (1962-)
2011-12 Minister of State at the Department of Health
with special responsibility for Primary Care Roisin Shortall
Labour
TD since 1992 and Joint Leader of the Social Democrats from 2015. (b. 1954-)
2011 Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade with special responsibility for
Trade and Development
2011-14 Minister of State at the Department for
Environment, Community and Local Government for Housing and Planning
2014-16
Minister of Education and Skills Jan O'Sullivan
City Councillor 1985-94 and Mayor of
Limerick 1993-94, Senator and Leader of the Labour Group 1993- 97 and TD from
1997 and candidate for the post of Deputy Leader in 2007. (b. 1950-).
2011-14 Minister of Department of Justice, Equality and Defence with special
responsibility for Equality Kathleen Lynch
2014-16 Minister of State at
the Department of Health with special sesponsibility for Primary Care, Mental
Health and Disability
Democratic Left TD 1994-97 and Labour TD 2002-16. (b. 1953-).
2011-13 Minister of State at the
Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade with
special responsibility for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton
Dublin
City Councillor 2004-07 and Fine Gael TD 2007-13, Independent from 2013 and
leader of Leader of Renua Ireland from 2014. Was not reelected in 2016. (b. 1980-)
2014- Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys
2016- Minister for Regional Development and Rural Affairs
Fine
Gael TD from 2011.
2014-16 Minister of State at the Departments of Agriculture,
Food and Marine and Transport, Tourism and Sport with Special Responsibility for
Rural Economic Development (implementation of the CEDRA Report) and Rural
Transport Ann Phelan
Labour TD 2011-16. (b. 1961-)
2016- Minister for
Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor
Fine Gael TD from
2011. (b. 1959-)
2016- Minister for Children and Youth Katherine Zappone
Independent Senator 2011-16 and TD from 2016. She is the first openly lesbian
member of the government. (b. 1953-).
2016- Minister of State at the
Department of the Taoiseach and Chief
Government Whip Regina Doherty
Fine Gael TD from 2011. (b. 1971-)
Last update 14.05.16