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The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan T.D., today launched the State programme to mark the introduction of voting rights for women in 1918 and their right to stand in parliamentary elections.

 
The Minister also launched the publication by historian Sinead McCoole Mná of 1916/Women of 1916 based on her major exhibition on the contribution of women to the Easter Rising of 1916.
 
Speaking today at the launch event in Marlay House in Rathfarnham Minister Madigan said:  

 “One hundred years ago today, a significant milestone was reached on a long and difficult journey towards enfranchising men and women equally.  The passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918 delivered a major extension of voting rights to men of all classes and provided a first limited franchise for women.  It was the first step towards the full inclusion of Irish women in public and political life.   Later in 1918 women would also be given the right to stand as candidates for election to Parliament.  Countess Markievicz, in the Dublin St. Patrick’s constituency, would become the first and only woman elected in the General Election of 1918.
 
“100 years ago today marked the beginning of a long journey – which is not over yet - towards realising the full inclusion of Irish women in public and political life.  It is right to celebrate that moment – but also to celebrate the role of women in Irish political life over the last 100 years. It is striking to note how few women have been able to participate in Irish political life until relevantly recently.”    
 
“In addition to the programme which I am launching today, as a member of the Oireachtas, I also look forward to participating in the full programme of events which the Houses of the Oireachtas are organising as part of the Vótáil100 2018 Programme.”

 

“As part of this celebration I am also delighted to launch a special publication by Sinéad McCoole – Mná 1916/Women of 1916 - which documents the important role played by 300 women in the 1916 Rising and its aftermath.  Sinéad's 'Mná 1916/Women of 1916' exhibition and this companion book have brought together previously unseen archive material from private and public collections.  She has ensured that the voices of these women, who played such a significant but an all too often hidden role in the events of the 1916 Rising, were heard, in many cases for the first time.” 

 
One of the legacies of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme was a greater understanding and appreciation for the role of women in shaping Ireland's history.  With the State commemorative programme for 2018, we continue that legacy.  One of the highlights of the programme will be a new pop-up museum exhibition, curated by Sinéad McCoole, which will be showcased in the Coach House at Dublin Castle from November until January 2019.  This exciting and innovative exhibition will shine a spotlight on the stories of the familiar and less well known women who have contributed to Irish public life over the past 100 years.  
 
Our National Cultural Institutions too have placed women and their changing role in all aspects of Irish life, at the heart of their programmes for 2018.  Historians have provided us with detail and context for the factual events of how Ireland was transformed in 1918 and the photographs, letters, diaries and personal stories have added layers to this narrative and brought human experience to these momentous events.  
 
Sinéad McCoole added:  
 
“This book captures and preserves new stories of the courageous and strong women who participated in the 1916 Rising, many of which were discovered during the 1916 centenary commemorations.  These were real women with real stories from every county in Ireland and their role in key historical events will never again be dismissed, under-estimated or trivialised.  I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the members of the families of these women, for their generosity in sharing their personal archives with me.  Great thanks are due also to my colleagues in the Department, as well as the national cultural institutions and the local library and museum network throughout the country.”