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Vótáil 100

In 2018, the Houses of the Oireachtas commemorated the 100th anniversary of the parliamentary vote for women in Ireland.

From the Lepracaun Cartoon Monthly, 1914, courtesy of Dublin City Library & Archive

1918 was the first time Irish women were permitted by law to vote and stand in parliamentary elections.

1918 was also the year in which the first woman was elected to the British Parliament at Westminster. Countess de Markievicz, who represented a Dublin constituency, never took her seat at Westminster. Instead, she joined the revolutionary first Dáil, becoming the first female TD.

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    Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD, Senator Ivana Bacik, Marguerite Sayers and Sean Rainbird.

    Seán Ó Fearghaíl TD, Senator Ivana Bacik, Marguerite Sayers and Sean Rainbird.

    Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda

    6 November 2018
    The Ceann Comhairle officially launched the exhibition Markievicz: Portraits & Propaganda at the National Gallery of Ireland.
    The exhibition explores aspects of Countess de Markievicz's complex and enigmatic identity through her visual portrayal in painting, photography and illustration. It is a collaboration between the National Gallery of Ireland and the Houses of the Oireachtas as part of the Vótáil 100 programme.

    Printables

    Get a poster and leaflet on the history of women's fight for voting rights.

    Infographics

    Find out about women's participation in parliamentary politics.

    Videos

    Videos

    Watch documentaries, interviews and video footage of Vótáil100 events.

    Suffrage and the national question

    Courtesy of Dublin City Library & Archive

    Suffrage and the national question

    The suffrage campaign in Ireland was complicated by the national question, which dominated Irish politics in the early 20th century. The enormous focus first on Home Rule and later on total separation from the United Kingdom pushed suffrage down the political agenda.

    Pioneers of parliamentary politics

    Courtesy of the National Library of Ireland

    Pioneers of parliamentary politics

    As well as winning the right to vote in parliamentary elections, from 1918 women were permitted to stand for election. Find out about some of the first women who took part in parliamentary politics in Ireland.

    Timeline - the road to the vote

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      The "system" that "works so well"!! - or the boroughmongers grinding machine, 1831, etching by George Cruikshank

      ©Trustees of the British Museum

      1832

      The Great Reform Act restricts parliamentary vote to “male persons”

      The Representation of the People Act 1832, known as the Great Reform Act, created new constituencies and granted the parliamentary vote to small landowners, tenant farmers and householders who paid a yearly rental of £10. The electorate almost doubled, however, the Act specified that the parliamentary vote was granted only to "male persons".

      This 1831 etching by George Cruikshank depicts the House of Commons as a mill in decay. Supported by cannons and muskets, it pours out a golden stream of money and benefits to the greedy beneficiaries of the political system.

      Díospóireacht na nÓg

      Díospóireacht na nÓg

      In April, the 16 winners of the Oireachtas all-island school competition took part in a debate in the Seanad Chamber on the legacy of the suffrage movement.

      Acknowledgements

      Members of the Vótáil 100 committee
      Our thanks to the following people for their contribution to Vótáil 100
      Díospóireacht na nÓg mentors

      Contact details

      Liam O'Brien
      Houses of the Oireachtas
      Leinster House
      Dublin 2

      D02 XR20
      +353 (0)1 618 4484
      +353 (0)86 189 5098
      liam.obrien@oireachtas.ie

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