Early life
Margaret Moloney was born in Glin on 9 January 1869 to John (Seán) Moloney, a carpenter, and Mary (née Fitzmaurice), a shopkeeper. After their father died, she and her brother James (Séamus) lived with their mother. Moloney worked as a seamstress. James was a journalist and also the harbour master in Glin. They were a nationalist family and James had been secretary to the Land League in the area.Funeral of the late Mr JF Moloney, Limerick Leader, 29 November 1918. Moloney was bilingual, speaking both English and Irish.Career
When her mother died, Moloney took on her role of shopkeeper. Her brother died in November 1918 and she additionally took on his roles as journalist and harbour master. As the shopkeeper in the village of Glin, Moloney had access to all the local news, which she contributed to the Limerick Leader as Our Glin Correspondent. She also wrote “trenchant nationalistic pieces” particularly in the lead up to the War of Independence. These articles led to threats from the Black and Tans to burn down her house but Moloney continued to publish. She later applied for a military pension for her activities during the revolutionary period but was unsuccessful. Moloney was paid £8 a year by the Limerick Harbour Board in the 1920s and this had increased to £10, with a £10 allowance for a uniform and waterproof cloak, by the time she retired in 1952. Her uniform had to be specially made as there were none for women at that time. After her retirement, the position was discontinued as Glin ceased to be a commercial port.First female harbour master
Moloney has been credited as the first female harbour master in Ireland and "Ireland’s only harbour mistress".Irish Independent, 30 December 1999, page 8. When she died in 1959, her obituary claimed that “Ireland loses its only woman harbour master” and she was described as “probably the world’s oldest harbour master, and certainly the world’s only woman to hold such a position”. Though no official record exists, there is evidence that at least two Irish women had earlier held the title of "harbour mistress". Ellen Fitzell's husband George was harbour master in Saleen Quay, Ballylongford,Later life and death
Moloney retired in 1952 after an illness. She died aged 90 on 12 August 1959 in St Ita's Home, Newcastle West. Despite her many roles and achievements, her death certificate records her as 'daughter of labourer'.Civil death certificate Ireland, 12 August 1959, Newcastle, Limerick In 2000, a sculpture commemorating Moloney was erected on the Main Street in Glin as part of the Millennium celebrations. It was designed by local artist Pat O’Loughlin.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moloney, Margaret 1869 births 1959 deaths Irish journalists 20th-century Irish women Irish nationalists Maritime history