Last night Dublin Corporation made history by electing the first woman Lord Mayor ever to hold office in Ireland.
The new Lord Mayor is Mrs Thomas Clarke, whose husband, the first signatory of the 1916 ["] Proclamation of the Republic,["] was executed after the Easter Week insurrection of that year.
Mrs Clarke's only opponent for the position at last night's meeting was Mr Peadar Doyle, T.D., Chief Whip of the Fine Gael Party in Dail Eireann, whose name was again put forward, after the outgoing Lord Mayor, Alderman A. Byrne, T.D., had caused a surprise by announcing the withdrawal of his own candidature. A poll resulted as follows:
Mrs Clarke ..........18
Ald. Doyle ...........15
When the election of Mrs Clarke was then put before the Chamber as a substantive motion the voting was:
For Mrs Clarke ....... 17
Against .................... 17
The outgoing Lord Mayor had the privilege of a casting vote, and gave it to Mrs Clarke, for whom he had already voted, thus securing her election.
When Alderman Byrne proceeded to invest the new Lord Mayor with the famous chain presented to the city by King William the Third, Mrs Clarke refused to accept it because it had been presented by an English King. The insignia known as the City Chain was, therefore, hurriedly procured, and Alderman Byrne placed it about her shoulders.
The Irish Times, June 28th, 1939.