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Thread on gender and parliamentary debate on the Irish Constitution. 
#womeninpolitics
Three women TDs sat in the DĂĄil when the Constitution of Ireland was debated in 1937: Bridget Redmond (FG), Helena Concannon (FF) and Margaret Pearse (FF). https://twitter.com/ThisDayIrish/status/1343829108233555968
#womeninpoliticsThree women TDs sat in the DĂĄil when the Constitution of Ireland was debated in 1937: Bridget Redmond (FG), Helena Concannon (FF) and Margaret Pearse (FF). https://twitter.com/ThisDayIrish/status/1343829108233555968
1/ Bridget Redmond (FG) was the only woman TD to contribute to the debate. The document was denounced by feminists as âsinister and retrogressiveâ regarding womenâs rights (see Maria Luddy, 2005).
2/ Among a number of concerning articles for women , feminists feared that Section 16 could be used to justify disenfranchising women on the basis of âincapacityâ or âdisabilityâ.
3/ De Valera maintained that he had removed the phrase âwithout the distinction of sexâ (as in the 1922 Constitution) because he regarded it as a marker of womenâs previous inferiority as citizens, which he insisted no longer existed in the draft Constitution.
4/ Deputations from womenâs organisations, including the Women Graduatesâ Association (WGA), met de Valera and the women TDs to express their concerns. He eventually re-inserted the clause after Redmond proposed an amendment for that purpose, but he believed it was superfluous.
5/ It is clear from the DĂĄil debate that Redmond did so largely in response to the pressure exerted on her by the womenâs movement, rather than her own personal motivations.
6/ Redmond's amendment to Article 9 (that no citizen shall be placed by law under any such disability or incapacity by reason of sex, class or religion) failed. She expressed her willingness to table further amendments, if necessary, to meet the points put to her by feminists.
7/ However, she has been described as a 'half-fighter' (see Margaret Ward, 1983) and she made only short contributions to the debates (and most of the arguments in favour of her amendments were made by Dr Robert Rowlette TD).
8/ Nonetheless, Bridget Redmond was the only woman TD to propose any amendments to the Constitution and this is significant. Margaret Pearse was present to vote only.
