Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The late Mary Byrne was a trailblazer. A former Fianna Fáil Councillor from Henry Street, she was the first woman elected to serve as Mayor of Galway City.

That feat was achieved in June 1975, International Women’s Year.

She also created political history in 1969, when she became the first woman selected on the Fianna Fáil General Election ticket in Galway West, alongside Johnny Geoghegan and Bobby Molloy.

Fittingly, 50 years after getting the chains of office, Galway City Council recognised Mary Byrne by naming Henry Street playground in her honour in June.

Since she broke the glass ceiling half a century ago, eight other women have elected as First Citizen.

They are Sheila Jordan, Bridie O’Flaherty, Angela Lupton, Terry O’Flaherty, Catherine Connolly, Hildegarde Naughton, Colette Connolly and Clodagh Higgins.

Four of them – Byrne, the mother and daughter O’Flaherty duo, and Lupton – served twice.

So, for 13 years out of the past 50 (26%), there has been a woman in City Hall’s ceremonial mayoral role.

A long way off proportionate representation, but Galway City Council is positively progressive, compared to Galway County Council.

The local authority representing the county area has elected just four women to the top job, all in the last 25 years.

Three of them are on the current Council – Councillors Eileen Mannion, Mary Hoade, and Martina Kinnane.

The other was Connie Ní Fhátharta, a south Conamara councillor who made history in 2000 by becoming the first woman elected Cathaoirleach of the local authority.

During last week’s Galway County Council AGM, Headford’s Mary Hoade was elected Leas Cathaoirleach.

The leader of the Fianna Fáil members on the local authority, she’s served as a councillor for 26 years and is one of the most experienced elected representatives on Galway County Council.

And yet one of her male colleagues, a relative newbie, described her as a “good girl” during tributes.

Mercifully, they stopped short of patting Mary on the head and asking her to make the tea and sandwiches.

Another male Councillor, referring to the outgoing Cathaoirleach, Martina Kinane, said it had been “good to have a lady in the chair”.

Mary Byrne – who would’ve no doubt recognised the casual sexism – must’ve been spinning in her grave.

Pictured: The late Mary Byrne from Henry Street was a trailblazer who, in 1975, became the first woman to be elected Mayor of Galway City.