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Wicklow Marks International Women’s Day

10/03/10

The first woman to be elected chairperson of Arklow Town Council, Maria Curran, was remembered by éirígí on Sunday [March 7] with a wreath laying ceremony to coincide with International Women’s Day.

Speaking at the event, Wicklow éirígí activist Adrian O’Reilly said: “We in éirígí believe that its only fitting we remember republican women like Maria Curran. Having been elected to Arklow Council in 1920, she was unanimously appointed chairperson of the body, making her the first woman in Ireland to be elected chairperson of a town and district council.

“Reading about Maria Curran, it is easily established that she was a wonderful character who was always one step ahead of the British forces who were in occupation of the town in those days. Maria used every trick in the book to keep confidential the council minute books and town council business papers in case they fell in to the hands of the Royal Irish Constabulary.”

O’Reilly also recalled other brave Wicklow women, including Cumann na mBan members from Arklow and 1916 veteran Máire Comerford, who was born in Rathdrum. Comerford was active from 1916 through the Tan War and the Civil War. Ann Devlin, a comrade and confident of Robert Emmet, was also remembered on the day.

The proceedings finished with Adrian quoting James Connolly, whose wife Lily also came from Wicklow: “The worker is the slave of the capitalist society, the female worker is the slave of that slave.”

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