Sylvia Meehan Explained
| Sylvia Meehan |
| Birth Date: | 2 April 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Death Place: | Galway, Ireland |
| Nationality: | Irish |
| Known For: | Activist on the rights of women and older people[1] |
Sylvia Meehan (2 April 1929[2] – 6 September 2018) was an Irish campaigner for the rights of women and older people.
Early career
Meehan was born Sylvia Shiel on 2 April 1929 in Dublin. She gained her education first in the Loreto Sisters at North Great George's Street and then attended University College Dublin where she studied legal and political science.[3] While there she became the first woman to win the Literary and Historical Association gold medal in 1951. She married and when her husband Denis died in 1969 she began her career working as a teacher of English and History in the Cabinteely School.[4] [5] [6]
She and her husband had five children, John, Niall, Sarah, Richard and Rosa.[7] [4] [5]
Activism
Meehan joined the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland where she went on to become vice president, and became active in the women's movement. She chaired the women's committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.[7] [4] [5]
In 1977, Meehan was appointed the first chief executive of the Employment Equality Agency. Her position ensured research into problems facing girls and women. The specific areas tended to be issues in education and employment such as maternity leave and childcare.[7] She was considered instrumental in achieving equal pay for women.[4] [5] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Meehan retired in 1992. She was president and founder of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament and on the National Council on Ageing and Older People.[12] In 1997 the University of Limerick awarded her a Doctor of Laws.[7] [4] [13] [14] [15] [16]
The National Women's Council of Ireland director Orla O'Connor said that she "was a trailblazer for women's equality. She campaigned tirelessly for the rights of women workers and older women".[17]
She died in Galway after a long illness in September 2018.[4] [5] [18]
Notes and References
- Web site: Sylvia Meehan Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament . iscp.wordpress.com . en.
- News: Prominent feminist who helped shape the Ireland of today. The Irish Times. 14 September 2018. subscription.
- Web site: 7 BIOGRAPHIES . womeninhistory.scoilnet.ie.
- Web site: Women’s rights activist Sylvia Meehan dies aged 89 . The Irish Times.
- News: Hennessy . Michelle . 'A towering figure in the struggle': Tributes after death of women's rights campaigner Sylvia Meehan . TheJournal.ie . en.
- News: Where are they now: Sylvia Meehan - Independent.ie . Independent.ie . en.
- News: Miley . Ingrid . Women's rights campaigner Sylvia Meehan dies aged 89 . RTE.ie . 6 September 2018 . en.
- Book: Anthony Bradley. Maryann Gialanella Valiulis. Gender and Sexuality in Modern Ireland. registration. 1997. Univ of Massachusetts Press. 1-55849-131-7. 274–.
- Book: Yvonne Galligan. Women and Politics in Contemporary Ireland: From the Margins to the Mainstream. 1 January 1998. A&C Black. 978-1-85567-433-2. 87–.
- Book: Rosemary Cullen Owens. A Social History of Women in Ireland, 1870–1970: An Exploration of the Changing Role and Status of Women in Irish Society. 25 October 2005. Gill Books. 978-0-7171-6455-4. 318–.
- Book: Daniel Webster Hollis. The History of Ireland. registration. 2001. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-313-31281-6. 195–.
- Web site: On the Couch . The Irish Times.
- News: Elderly people want more than a seat on the bus An Phoblacht . www.anphoblacht.com . en.
- Web site: Stop portraying old people as lonely . 22 March 2006. irishhealth.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180907182943/http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=9198. 7 September 2018.
- News: Exemplary roles earn awards . The Irish Times.
- News: Government urged to abolish poverty by 2006 . The Irish Times.
- Web site: 2018-09-06 . NWCI pays tribute to Sylvia Meehan . 2022-06-03 . National Women's Council of Ireland NWCI.ie . en.
- Web site: Death Notice of Sylvia MEEHAN (née Shiel) . . en.
