The Office of Public Works (OPW) is delighted to welcome visitors to the exhibition 100 Years of Women in Politics and Public Life at the Main Guard in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. This exhibition explores 100 years of women’s participation in politics and public life in Ireland. Curated by Dr Sinéad McCoole, on behalf of the Government’s Commemorations Unit, this exhibition shines a light on the major influence that women have had on the formation of modern-day Ireland, acknowledging and raising awareness of their substantial contribution to Irish history in politics and public service.
The exhibition tells the stories of very familiar and less well-known women, who have contributed significantly to Irish political and public life over the past century – of the challenges they faced and the obstacles they overcame. It looks at the individual lives of women elected to the Oireachtas over the period 1918 to 2018 and was developed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the Decade of Centenaries, a programme of commemorations relating to some of the most significant events in Irish history that took place between 1912 and 1923.
Women with Tipperary connections featured in the exhibition include Deputy Carrie Acheson and Senator Tras Honan, who were the first sisters ever to be elected to the Oireachtas at the same time in October 1981, and Theresa Ahearn, formally a mathematics teacher, who was elected to the Dáil in 1985.
While politics is a major feature of the exhibition, it also showcases how Irish society changed throughout the twentieth century and how this gradually opened up opportunities for women to participate in public life in Ireland.
The exhibition was previously on display as part of a pop-up museum launched in Dublin Castle in December 2018. It then moved to Istabraq Hall in Limerick City and on to the Donegal County Museum in Letterkenny, to Roscommon County Hall and the headquarters of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on Kildare Street before returning to Dublin Castle last year.
Exhibition: 100 Years of Women in Politics and Public Life
Location: The Main Guard, Sarsfield Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Dates: On display until the 23 September 2021
Times: Tuesday – Sunday, 09:00–17:00 (last admission 16:15). Closed Mondays.
Website: www.heritageireland.ie / & www.mna100.ie
Social media: Find us on Facebook at @themainguardopw
Admission: Free
