Today is International Women's Day so we decided to have a look at two women whose links to the College are very different but both equally significant.
The first woman we will look at is Mary Emily Dowson. Mary is very important in the break through of women into the world of education. In 1884 the College met to decide whether they would admit women students and the motion was passed nine votes to three. Mary became the first women to receive a licence from RCSI on 4th June 1886. Her signature in the College's Roll of Licentiates can be seen below.
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| Mary Emily Dowson's signature RCSI/LIC/02 |
The Medical Press of the time wrote an article entitled 'The First Lady Surgeon' which gives details about how well Mary performed during her four days of examinations.
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| Medical Press article about Mary Emily Dowson dated June 1886 |
The second woman we will look at is Moira Elizabeth Connolly, daughter of the 1916 Easter Rising signatory and socialist James Connolly. Moira was born in 1899 so was only 17 years old when her father was executed for his role in the Rising. Despite this heartbreak in 1919 Moira sat and passed her preliminary exams to study at RCSI, a building that had played a major role in the fighting of Easter Week.
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| Moira Elizabeth Connolly's preliminary examination certificate |
Moira completed her medical studies and received her licence signing the Roll of Licentiates on 3rd April 1925. She went on to get married, have children and moved to England where she worked as a GP.
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| Moira Elizabeth Connolly in her graduation robes |
These two women deserve to be remembered today as they both overcame hardship and difficulty to follow a career in something they believed in and cared about: medicine.
- Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy