Sylvia Meehan (2 April 1929 – 6 September 2018) was an Irish

campaigner A civil society campaign is one that is intended to mobilize public support and use democratic tools such as lobbying in order to instigate social change. Civil society campaigns can seek local, national or international objectives. They can be r ...

for the rights of women and older people.

Early career

Meehan was born Sylvia Shiel on 2 April 1929 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. She gained her education first in the Loreto Sisters at North Great George's Street and then attended

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

where she studied legal and political science. 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 Cabinteely () is a suburb of Dublin's southside. It is in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin, Ireland. Geography Cabinteely lies around the crossroads of Johnstown Road / Brennanstown Road and the Old Bray Road, and on either side of th ...

School. She and her husband had five children, John, Niall, Sarah, Richard and Rosa.

Activism

Meehan joined the

Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is a trade union for secondary school teachers in Ireland. It is a member of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. The union represents 18,500 teachers in schools attended by 80% of all seco ...

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 The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (often abbreviated to just Congress or ICTU), formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trades Union Congress (founded in 1894) and the Congress of Irish Unions (founded in 1945), is a national trade union centr ...

. In 1977, Meehan was appointed the first chief executive of the

Employment Equality Agency Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any oth ...

. 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. She was considered instrumental in achieving equal pay for women. Meehan retired in 1992. She was president and founder of the

Irish Senior Citizens Parliament Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and on the National Council on Ageing and Older People. In 1997 the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

awarded her a Doctor of Laws. The

National Women's Council of Ireland The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is a representative organisation for women and women's groups in Ireland. It was originally known as the Council for the Status of Women. Policies The mission of the NWCI is to achieve women's equa ...

director

Orla O'Connor Orla may refer to: Places *Orla, Missouri, USA *Orla, Texas, USA * Orla, Jharkhand, India *Orla, Podlaskie Voivodeship (north-east Poland), a village **Gmina Orla, a commune centred on the village *Orla, Krotoszyn County in Greater Poland Voivodes ...

said that she "was a trailblazer for women's equality. She campaigned tirelessly for the rights of women workers and older women". She died in Galway after a long illness in September 2018.

References and sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meehan, Sylvia 1929 births 2018 deaths Trade unionists from Dublin (city) Irish women's rights activists Elder rights activists Irish trade union leaders Alumni of University College Dublin