Monica Barnes (; 12 February 1936 – 2 May 2018) was an Irish

Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil � ...

politician who served as a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) for the

Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...

constituency from 1982 to 1992 and 1997 to 2002. She was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for the

Labour Panel The Labour Panel ( ga, An Rolla Oibreachais) is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Labour Panel elects eleven senators. ...

from February 1982 to November 1982 and a Member of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

from 1991 to 1995. She was a feminist and women's right activist who co-founded the Council for the Status of Women (now the National Women's Council).

Early life

Barnes was born Monica MacDermott on 12 February 1936 in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. Her father was a trade unionist who worked at the Gypsum Industries Factory in

Kingscourt Kingscourt, historically known as Dunaree (), is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is located near the Cavan– Meath border. The town was founded near the site of the old village of Cabra, by Mervyn Pratt, towards the end of the 18th centur ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

. She was educated at the Louis Convent,

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ga, Contae Mhuineacháin) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Ulster and is part of Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Cou ...

, a boarding school to which she won a county council scholarship. She failed the Leaving Certificate Maths exam, which meant she could not progress to university. She worked in London as a clerk in the London Stock Exchange. After returning to Ireland, she met and married Bob Barnes and the couple moved to Rathmines, Dublin. Barnes had two daughters and a son. After the birth of her first child, she later said she suffered from

post-natal depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and chan ...

, a condition largely unrecognised in Ireland at the time. She was told by her doctor to "pull yourself together". Subsequently she set up a support group for women with the condition and began to take an interest in equality and women's rights.

Political career

In 1973, the Report of the Commission on the Status of Women was published, identifying 49 discriminations to be removed and 19 suggestions as to how the status of women in Ireland could be improved. Also in 1973, the Irish government requested permission from the European Economic Community (EEC) to delay implementation of the Equal Pay directive when the country joined. In response, Barnes co-founded the Council for the Status of Women (now the National Women's Council) in 1973, a move which prompted her to fully commit herself to politics. The then Minister for Labour, Michael O'Leary, appointed Barnes as a member of the Employment Equality Agency which was set up by the Employment Equality Act (1977). In 1975, Barnes founded and was chairwoman of Woman Elect, an organisation to encourage and support women to stand for election. Barnes unsuccessfully contested the 1981 general election in the Dún Laoghaire constituency, and after a further defeat at the February 1982 general election she was elected to the

16th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 16th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1982, after the February 1982 general election and served until the close of poll ...

as a Senator for the

. Barnes also unsuccessfully contested the European Parliament election for the

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

constituency in

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

and

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

. She was first elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

at the November 1982 general election. In the second election of 1982, she topped the poll for Fine Gael. In 1983, she opposed the wording of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave equal right to life of the unborn and pregnant women. She was subjected to a hate campaign and received death threats during this time. "I had to stand up for women, and for the health and future of women". She retained her seat until the 1992 general election and was re-elected at the 1997 general election. She retired at the 2002 general election. Barnes was credited as a

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and an advocate of women's rights. She was seen as having made a critical intervention that led to the passing of the Health (Family Planning) (Amendment) Bill 1985, which gave Irish adults the right to purchase non-medical

contraceptives Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

without having to get a doctor's prescription, which passed the Dáil by a narrow margin.

Death

Barnes died on 2 May 2018 at her home in

Glenageary Glenageary ( ga, Gleann na gCaorach , meaning "Glen of the Sheep") is an area in the suburbs of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. While there is no officially defined boundary, it is surrounded by the areas of Dalkey, Dún Laoghaire, Glasthule ...

, County Dublin aged 82.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Monica 1936 births 2018 deaths Fine Gael TDs Fine Gael senators Irish feminists Irish women's rights activists Members of the 16th Seanad 20th-century women members of Seanad Éireann Members of the 24th Dáil Members of the 25th Dáil Members of the 26th Dáil Members of the 28th Dáil 20th-century women Teachtaí Dála 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála People from Dún Laoghaire Presidential appointees to the Council of State (Ireland) People from Carrickmacross Politicians from County Monaghan People educated at St. Louis Secondary School, Carrickmacross Labour Panel senators