South Dublin County Council Becomes First Council in History of State with Majority Female Membership

• 52.5% women on 40-member Council
• Co-option of Sheehy & Farrell brings total female Councillors to 21
• First Council in Ireland to reach and exceed gender parity

Following the recent General Election which resulted in three South Dublin County Councillors being elected to Dáil Éireann, three new Councillors (Cllr. Paddy Cosgrave (Labour), Cllr. Jacqueline Sheehy (Fianna Fáil) and Cllr. Helen Farrell (Independent)) were co-opted at a Special Meeting of the Council on 19th December.

With the addition of Councillors Farrell and Sheehy, South Dublin County Council is now the first Council in the history of the State to have majority female membership, with 21 women now representing 52.5% of the Council.

The Local Elections in June saw 19 of the 40 local Council seats in South Dublin going to female candidates, which was the then highest proportion of women on any Council in the country.  With today’s co-options, that representation now exceeds 50% for the first time for any local authority in Ireland.

Speaking at the Special Meeting of the Council, Cllr. Alan Hayes, Deputy Mayor of South Dublin said: “I want to wish my former colleagues the best as they take their seats in Leinster House.  I would also like to welcome our newest colleagues to the chamber. Today is a significant day, one which shows the women of South Dublin that their voice is heard louder than ever in this chamber.

I would also like to commend the current and former female Councillors who have paved the way for this historic moment, particularly former Councillor Breda Cass, who had the honour of being the first woman in South Dublin elected as Mayor in 1995.”

Colm Ward, Chief Executive of South Dublin County Council. Added: “Congratulations to all three newly co-opted Councillors.  Today is a notable milestone for us as a Council and for local government In Ireland - to have majority female membership on the Council reflects how progressive and diverse our County is and builds on the work of our Women’s Caucus which supports continued and new female participation in local politics.

OurPublic Sector Equality and Human Rights Duty Framework commitments will see us continue to support greater opportunity for all to engage in local democracy, particularly those from minority communities or who feel marginalised, to ensure that our Council is representative of everyone in South Dublin.”