Marion Duggan

Marion Duggan (27 July 1884–24 June 1943), was an Irish suffragist and activist. She organised volunteers to report on all-male courts where they were trying crimes against women after hearing of judges leniency including excusing a man's "impulses". She, in time, became the fifth woman to be an Irish barrister.

Marion Duggan
Born27 July 1884
Kilbeggan
Died24 June 1943
Dublin
NationalityIrish
EducationTrinity College Dublin

Life

Born to James and Elizabeth Duggan in Kilbeggan[1], she was christened Marion Elizabeth Duggan in St. Mark's Church, Dublin.[2]. Her father was a sub agent for the Bank of Ireland, as a result they moved around living in Rossleaghan, Borris in 1901[3] and Ranelagh in 1911.[4].

Suffrage activism

Duggan was the third woman graduate of Law, getting her degree in 1910[5] from Trinity College Dublin and a prominent suffragist in Dublin. An issue of The Irish Citizen included the article entitled ‘The Discovery of the Femaculine’, uses a term coined by Duggan. She was particularly concerned by the incidence of domestic violence and sexual assaults both in society and how they were treated by the courts. Men were often treated with leniency and gaining the vote was seen as a crucial step in changing this. Duggan was the secretary of the Irish Women’s Reform League. They were concerned that any woman brought to court faced a jury, judge and lawyers who were all men. Women were barred from working as lawyers until the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 and were almost never able to serve on juries until 1976. There were a number of cases involving the assault of children including one where the perpetrator served two weeks for the crime, or another where the charge was not followed through because the victim was 7.[6] Duggan was furious when Justice William Huston Dodd instructed the all-male jury to take into account “the natural and irresistible impulses animating the man” in 1914. She wrote to the 'Irish Citizen' and formed a Courts Watch committee to attend the public sessions when a woman was in court. Even this caused difficulty when the cases were considered to contain indecent information. There was often an attempt to eject the women from the gallery. In 19 June 1915 the 'Irish Citizen' asked "When will men realize that women are part of the public, that they are fully entitled to be present at all cases open to the public". It was Duggan who wrote most of the reports of the courts actions for publication.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

Duggan was also vocal on assumptions about women, militancy and motherhood[17][18] and women's pay and conditions, having also worked for the Irish Women Workers' Union and been a member of the Central Committee for Women's Employment for the Provinces of Leinster, Munster and Connaught.[19][20][21][22]

Professional life

Once the legal impediment was eliminated Duggan was able to work in her field. She was called to the bar in 1925, the fifth woman in Ireland to be so. She was also formally appointed by the Law Reporting Council of Ireland in 1928. She was the first woman Law reporter but she was pressured to resign in 1934. She had worked as a secretary, a teacher and a journalist while unable to practice. Duggan died of heart failure in 1943 in Dublin.[23][21]

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References
  1. "Irish Genealogy Birth record" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
  2. "Irish Genealogy Church records". churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
  3. "1901 :National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
  4. "1911: National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
  5. Gender in Justice (PDF). Trinity College Dublin.
  6. Ryan, L.; Ward, M. (2018). Irish Women and the Vote: Becoming Citizens, New Edition. Irish Academic Press. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-78855-015-4. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  7. Colin, Duggan (2019-05-13). "The Theosophical Society and politics: esoteric discourse, esoteric monism, and theosophical identity in late 19th and early 20th century Britain and Ireland". hdl:10468/7896. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. Ryan, Louise. "Read all about it: writing wrongs". The Irish Times.
  9. Vasiljevic, Snjezana (2013-04-13). "European Citizenship in the Context of Gender Equality Legislation in Eastern European Countries: The Case of Croatia". Home. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  10. "Shining a light on hidden abuses in Irish society". www.irishexaminer.com. 8 March 2018.
  11. Purseil, Niamh. "Votes for women: Every inch of progress was hard fought". The Irish Times.
  12. Ryan, Louise (1995-12-01). "Traditions and double moral standards: the Irish suffragists' critique of nationalism[1]". Women's History Review. Informa UK Limited. 4 (4): 487–503. doi:10.1080/09612029500200095. ISSN 0961-2025.
  13. "Votes for All Women: the tricky issue of class politics in the Irish suffrage movement". The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival. 10 July 2018.
  14. "Centenary of Women's Suffrage: Statements – Dáil Éireann (32nd Dáil) – Tuesday, 6 Feb 2018 – Houses of the Oireachtas". Houses of the Oireachtas website. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  15. Sulkunen, I.; Nevala-Nurmi, S.L.; Markkola, P. (2008). Suffrage, Gender and Citizenship â€" International Perspectives on Parliamentary Reforms. Cambridge Scholars Publisher. p. 331. ISBN 978-1-4438-0301-4. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  16. Ryan, L.; Ward, M. (2018). Irish Women and the Vote: Becoming Citizens, New Edition. Irish Academic Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-78855-015-4. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  17. MacPherson, D.A.J. (2012). Women and the Irish Nation: Gender, Culture and Irish Identity, 1890-1914. Palgrave Connect. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-230-29437-0. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  18. Steele, K. (2007). Women, Press, and Politics During the Irish Revival. Irish Studies. Syracuse University Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-8156-3117-0. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  19. "View Image". TUC History Online. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  20. "TUC". History Online. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  21. Rackley, E.; Auchmuty, R. (2018). Women's Legal Landmarks: Celebrating the history of women and law in the UK and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 241. ISBN 978-1-78225-978-7. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  22. "Suffragettes at war". The Irish Times. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  23. "Irish Genealogy Death record" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
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