Mary Cosgrave ( – 17 November 1941) was an Irish social worker and local politician.

Life

Mary Cosgrave was born Mary Josephine Daly in

Naas Naas ( ; or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2022, it had a population of 26,180, making it the largest town in County Kildare (ahead of Newbridge, County Kildare, Newbridge) and the List of urban ar ...

, County Kildare around 1877. Her parents were James William and Jane Daly. She attended St Mary's Convent in Naas, going on to

University of St Andrews The University of St Andrews (, ; abbreviated as St And in post-nominals) is a public university in St Andrews, Scotland. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest of the four ancient universities of Scotland and, f ...

for a

Lady Literate in Arts A Lady Literate in Arts (LLA) qualification was offered by the University of St Andrews in Scotland for more than a decade before women were allowed to graduate in the same way as men, and it became popular as a kind of external degree for women ...

or LLA. She came to Ireland to live in

Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...

, Dublin, taking up a position as a lecturer at the Training College of Our Lady of Mercy, Baggot Street in 1896. She was an examiner in English for the intermediate board of education. She married the solicitor and journalist Maurice Joseph Cosgrave in July 1901. Cosgrave developed an interest in maternity and child welfare work, becoming a prominent member of the Women's National Health Association from its inception. She succeeded Lady Aberdeen as president in 1939. She became associated with the Peamount sanatorium due to her work against

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, again she replaced Lady Aberdeen as the president of the sanatorium in 1939. Cosgrave was also a number of Peamount's After Care Guild. In 1922, she was elected to the Rathmines urban district council. She went on to become a member of

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660–1661, even more si ...

in 1933, serving until her death. As part of her work in the corporation, she sat on a number of committees such as the Cheeverstown Convalescent Home for Little Children committee, the

National Children's Hospital The National Children's Hospital () was a children's teaching hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was founded by Sir Philip Crampton, Sir Henry Marsh and Dr Charles Johnsto ...

committee, the city of Dublin child welfare committee, the city of Dublin vocational educational committee, and the housing committee. Cosgrave served as president of the committees for the county libraries, the

Meath Hospital The Meath Hospital () was a general hospital in the Earl of Meath's Liberty in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998. History The hospital was opened to serve the sick and poor in the crowded area of the Li ...

, and the

Dublin County Council Dublin County Council () was a local authority for the administrative county of County Dublin in Ireland. History The county council was established on 1 April 1899 under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 for the administrative count ...

until 1930. She was also involved in the Civics Institute. As an active member of the Irish Women Citizens' Association she held the position of chair. At international congresses, Cosgrave was the representative of the National Council of Ireland. She died at her home at Woodside, 17 Park Drive, Cowper Gardens, Dublin on 17 November 1941.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosgrave, Mary 1870s births 1941 deaths People from County Kildare Irish women in politics Irish social workers