Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to begin with a quotation from Wolfe Tone from 1791, when he declared the national demand was, "To break the connection with England, the never-failing source of all our political evils". It is rather ironic in light of Brexit. Breaking that connection meant different things to different people: repeal of the Union, some form of home rule or a republic. Of course, after 1916, there was no doubt what form breaking that connection would take. The change had come about because of the extent of the executions in 1916 and the very tragic stories behind some of them, and also the return to Ireland of those who had been imprisoned in England and Wales.

Before the 1918 election we had the by-elections in 1917 and the election of Count Plunkett and of Eamon de Valera. However, the 1918 election was a key moment in modern Irish history. It saw the defeat of the Irish Parliamentary Party, a considerable victory for the Sinn Féin Party and an increase for unionists, and the role of Labour has to be acknowledged. The historian F.S.L. Lyons called it a bitter, ugly election, but it was a result that completely transformed the face of politics.

It was significant that women, albeit those over the age of 30, were able to vote, along with men over the age of 21. It was significant also in that it led to the establishment of the First Dáil, which we will commemorate in January. It was significant for the election of Countess Markievicz, the first woman MP elected to Westminster in spite of British efforts to take that accolade from her. It was the last parliamentary election for a 32-county republic. It also saw the ascendancy of Carson and unionism, and the creation of a Protestant state for a Protestant people, which led to decades of institutional prejudice against Catholics, the effects of which we again see re-merging with Brexit.

It was significant for the fact of women voting, the election of Countess Markievicz and the progress that came from that for women in Ireland, albeit slowly. We are so far ahead of other countries in this regard. As a woman Teachta Dála, I am very conscious of those countries where women cannot vote and cannot be members of parliament, where they are not even allowed to drive a car and not allowed outside their homes without a male companion, where they have no say about their sexual health or about the number of children they can have.

Putting all that together, it is very important that we know our history, that we remember it and commemorate it, for example, in regard to the significance of the 1918 election and the First Dáil in January. It is ironic, however, that as we were coming into the decade of commemorations, history was being downgraded as a subject at junior certificate level, and it is good to see the Minister, Deputy McHugh, is reviewing that. It is important it is a compulsory subject so our young people can understand their history, know where we came from and develop the critical analysis that goes with the study of history.

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