Mary Byrne

Who was Mary Byrne?

Mary Byrne was the Mayor of Galway from 1975 to 1976 and again from 1984 to 1985.

One of two children of Michael Byrne of Newry, County Down, and Brigid Kelly of [Garafine,[Ballymacward]], County Galway, she trained as a nurse in the city's old Central Hospital and later worked as a staff-nurse at Galway Regional Hospital. She eventually became a Sister and worked in the Casualty Department for twenty-two years. She was a member of the Western Health Board from 1970 to 1988 representing General Nurses. She served as Chairperson of the Galway Branch of the Irish Nurses Organisation as well as being a member of its'National Executive for many years.

Politically active due to her father's influence, Byrne was an active member of Fianna Fáil from the 1940s, and successfully ran for election to Galway Corporation in 1967, serving eighteen years as a Councillor. She was the first woman ever to run for Fianna Fail in the West Galway Constituency in a General Election when she was selected as the running mate for Johnny Geoghegan and Bobby Molloy in the 1969 General Election.She created history on June 30th 1975 when she became the first woman to be elected Mayor of the City of Galway.