 in 1979, the first woman since Constance Markievicz sixty years later. In 1990 Mary Robinson was elected as the first female President of Ireland. Mary McAleese followed in 1997 and this was the first time in the world that another woman consecutively was elected as Head of State. During this time there was a major revival of the women’s movement in Ireland. In 1973, the Council for the Status of Women was established.
In the 46 years that Ireland has been a member, the country has come a long way. From the Catholic archaic laws of the twentieth century to the 66.44% that voted yes to repealing the 8th amendment in the 2018 Referendum. This granted women the right to choice in regards to abortion. Without a lot of the external funding and legal rights the EU granted, Ireland would have struggled to keep up both socially and economically with their European counterparts. The European Union has been pivotal in progressing women’s rights in Ireland. The revival of feminist activism due to the recent referendum in Ireland is only the beginning of a new generations fight for gender equality. In this time of political unrest, now more than ever membership of the EU is important in protecting women’s rights and that is why we need to continue to support this by voting for feminist candidates in May.