Jane Dowdall was an Irish Fianna Fail politician, philanthropist, nurse and company director.
12 Facts About Jane Dowdall
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Jane Dowdall was the daughter of eating-house keeper Michael Doggett and Mary Ellen Doggett.
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Jane Dowdall went to work as a nurse at St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin after leaving school, and became an active member of the Gaelic League.
4.
Jane Dowdall married James Charles Dowdall in October 1929, and the couple moved to Cork.
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Jane Dowdall went on to become a member of the Cork health authority and the Cork hospitals' committee, and was one of the founding members of the Women's Industrial Development Association.
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Jane Dowdall was elected to Seanad Eireann on the Industrial and Commercial Panel at the 1951 election, and was re-elected in 1954 and 1957.
7.
Jane Dowdall was variously appointed director of the Cancer Association of Ireland, a government nominee on the central council of the Irish Red Cross Society, the first treasurer of the Fresh Air Fund, an executive member of the Irish tourist board, and a director of St Luke's Hospital, Dublin.
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Jane Dowdall was the first female member of Cork City Council and on 24 June 1959 became the first female Lord Mayor of Cork, serving until 1960.
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Jane Dowdall was a member of the Cork city vocational education committee, lending her support to the School of Music and the School of Art, and a member of the Cork Tostal Council.
10.
Jane Dowdall was invited to New York by Mayor Robert Wagner in 1960 as a guest of honour at the St Patrick's Day parade alongside Governor Nelson Rockefeller.
11.
Jane Dowdall was defeated at the 1961 Seanad election, but went on to be one of the first women to sit on the council of state from 1964 to 1974.
12.
Jane Dowdall lived at Carrigduv, Blackrock, Cork, later retiring to Glanmire, County Cork, and then to Mill House, Kilcully, County Cork.