Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for the invitation to address the Seanad in its temporary home. On 6 February last, I launched the Government's programme to commemorate the centenary of the introduction of voting rights for women in parliamentary elections. The programme booklet reprints a remarkable piece of correspondence from Prime Minister Lloyd George to Countess Markievicz in the collection of the National Museum of Ireland. The letter is a short, formal three-sentence invitation to Countess Markievicz to attend the re-opening of Parliament at Westminster. It addresses the new Member of Parliament as "Sir" and the envelope has the original postal address of Dublin St. Patrick's, the constituency to which Countess Markievicz was elected and which, as it happens, is now the constituency of Dublin Rathdown that I represent. However, the address is written over and redirected to Holloway Prison London. In these two small details, we can detect the seismic changes in the political landscape of our world 100 years ago. While the system had just opened its doors to women's participation in political life, it still could not quite believe that the MP for Dublin St. Patrick's was not "Sir" but "Madam", and the self-same madam, instead of taking a seat in his majesty's parliament, was incarcerated in his majesty's prison as a result of her political activities in seeking an independent Irish republic. These two joint but separate campaigns - the struggle for Irish freedom and the struggle for women's political rights - were at the core of Countess Markievicz's work.

The Representation of the People Act 1918, enacted on the 6 February 100 years ago, gave some women aged over 30 years and all men over the age of 21 years the right to vote for the first time. The Act had the effect of tripling the size of the electorate, which no doubt had a significant impact on the subsequent election. The Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918, which was passed in November 1918, further allowed women to stand for election on an equal footing with men for the first time. In the subsequent general election, 17 women stood but only Countess Markievicz was elected. In Ireland, Sinn Féin alone put forward women candidates, namely, Constance Markievicz who was victorious In the Dublin St. Patrick's constituency and Winifred Carney in Belfast Victoria. Women would have to await passage of the Constitution of the Irish Free State (Saorstát Eireann) Act 1922 by the Third Dáil for full and equal voting rights in time for the election to the Fourth Dáil on 27 August 1923. It is no consolation that women in the United Kingdom did not achieve equal franchise until 1928.

Meanwhile, Countess Markievicz would become a member of Dáil Éireann and became our first female Cabinet Minister in 1919. It would take another 60 years before another woman sat at the Cabinet table in Government Buildings. As Senators are no doubt aware, there have been 103 woman Senators in this House to date, including the 15 incumbents. While women have secured their seats in this house via a broad range of panels, it is noteworthy that thus far more than one third have been appointed by the Taoiseach of the day. I hope to see many more women serve in this House and the Dáil in future and, importantly, to see also a significant improvement in the proportion of Members of both Houses who are women. While many improvements have been already implemented to underpin progress in this area, our work is ongoing to ensure any remaining soft or hard barriers to women's participation in Parliament are eliminated and replaced by an environment in which all those who wish to serve have equal access to the resources required to facilitate that achievement, regardless of their gender.The programme complements the Vótáil 100 commemorations organised by the Houses of the Oireachtas and I recently distributed a copy to each Member of the Seanad. It will be delivered by many partners, including the national cultural institutions, History Ireland, the local authorities, trade unions and third level institutions. One highlight will be a pop-up museum depicting 100 years of involvement by women in politics and public life. It will look at the key women who contributed in the past 100 years to shaping the State, including the women who have served in Seanad Éireann and Dáil Éireann during that period. The exhibition which is curated by the historian Sinéad McCoole will be housed in Dublin Castle from November and then travel to regional venues.

We are reflecting on the significant contribution women have made to the country in the last century, but we are also reflecting on the missed opportunities for women and society in the conservative state which came into being after Independence. The Houses of the Oireachtas have done much to progress the legislative framework to provide better and equal opportunities for all, but we still have a way to travel. It is timely, during the centenary year of such a key milestone for women, to redouble our efforts to further expand and enhance the scope for women to realise opportunities.