As the election is still in my mind I thought I would write about this remarkable woman. In 1918 an act was passed allowing women to stand as Member of Parliament. Later that year Constance Markievicz became the first woman to be elected to the House of Commons at Westminster. However, as she was an Irish Nationalist and a member of Sinn Fein she didn’t take up her seat.
She was already a reknowned figure, having played an active part in the 1916 uprising. She only survived execution because she was a woman. In 1919 she was appointed Minister of Labour in the Dail Eireann, thus becoming the first female minister in a modern democracy.
Her families estate, Lissadell at Sligo, is privately owned but can be visited. The poet W.B.Yeats was a friend and frequent visitor.
