Sarah Cecilia Harrison (1863-1941) was one of Dublin's finest portrait painters but also immersed herself in the political and social fabric of Dublin life, becoming the first female City Councillor in 1912. Deeply involved in philanthropic, political, civic, and artistic efforts, she was a staunch supporter and ally of Hugh Lane in the establishment of a modern art gallery for Dublin.
Sarah Cecilia Harrison (1863-1941) was one of Dublin's finest portrait painters but also immersed herself in the political and social fabric of Dublin life, becoming the first female City Councillor in 1912. Deeply involved in philanthropic, political, civic, and artistic efforts, she was a staunch supporter and ally of Hugh Lane in the establishment of a modern art gallery for Dublin.
Just four women were among the 83 people given the Freedom of the City of Dublin since the award was inaugurated in 1876 to June 2022. The genesis of this book lies in wanting, in some way, to address this very obvious gender imbalance and to showcase a variety of the very many accomplished women who lived before us.
During the 20th century, Dublin Corporation transformed the urban landscape of Dublin. Its many housing developments sought to end a housing and public health crisis of immense proportions, the legacy of the nineteenth century. Its early engagement with the housing crisis was tentative and involved mostly small inner city schemes, many of which are unknown to present-day Dubliners.