Tras Honan (; born 4 January 1930) is a former
Irish
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 ...
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
politician from
Ennis in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...
who served as a
senator for 15 years. She was elected to the position of
Cathaoirleach
Cathaoirleach (; Irish for chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach, who has held the o ...
(Chair of
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).
It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...
) on two occasions, becoming the first and only woman elected to the position.
She was born 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 c ...
and educated at St. Leo's Convent,
Carlow and at the Mercy Convent,
Clonmel. She worked as a housewife and businesswoman before becoming active in politics.
In 1977, she was elected to the
14th Seanad
This is a list of the members of the 14th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1977, after the 1977 general election and served until the close of poll for ...
as a Fianna Fáil candidate on the
Administrative Panel
The Administrative Panel () 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 Administrative Panel elects seven senators.
Election
...
and served for 15 years
[ until her defeat at the 1993 elections to the 20th Seanad.] In 1982, in the short-lived 16th Seanad, she was elected to the position of Cathaoirleach
Cathaoirleach (; Irish for chairperson; plural: ) is the title of the chair (or presiding officer) of Seanad Éireann, the sixty-member upper house of the Oireachtas, the legislature of Ireland. The current Cathaoirleach, who has held the o ...
, the first woman to hold the post. In 1983, in the 17th Seanad
This is a list of the members of the 17th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1983, after the November 1982 general election and served until the close of pol ...
, she was elected as Leas-Chathaoirleach (Deputy Chair), and in 1987, in the 18th Seanad, she was re-elected as Cathaoirleach.
Family
Honan is the widow of Dermot Honan
Dermot Patrick Honan (died 20 July 1986) was a Fianna Fáil politician from County Clare in Republic of Ireland, Ireland who served as a Seanad Éireann, senator for 8 years.
A licensed vintner before entering politics, he was elected in 1965 to ...
, a senator from 1965 to 1975; his father T. V. Honan was also a senator from 1934 to 1954. She was also a sister of Carrie Acheson
Caroline Acheson (; 11 September 1934 – 16 January 2023) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician.
Career
Acheson was born in Tipperary in 1934, daughter of Matt Barlow, Republican activist in the Irish War of Independence. She was educated at t ...
, a TD.
See also
*Families in the Oireachtas
There is a tradition in Irish politics of having family members succeed each other, frequently in the same parliamentary seat. This article lists families where two or more members of that family have been members ( TD or Senator) of either of th ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Honan, Tras
1930 births
Living people
Cathaoirligh of Seanad Éireann
Fianna Fáil senators
Members of the 14th Seanad
Members of the 15th Seanad
Members of the 16th Seanad
Members of the 17th Seanad
Members of the 18th Seanad
Members of the 19th Seanad
20th-century women members of Seanad Éireann
People from Ennis
Politicians from County Clare
Politicians from County Dublin
Spouses of Irish politicians