Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington

Hanna Sheehy Skeffington
Hanna Sheehy Skeffington in 1916
Born	Johanna Mary (Hanna) Sheehy Kanturk, Cork, Ireland
Died	Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Teacher, Activist, Politician, Author, Editor
Known for	Women's Suffrage Movement and Activism

Johanna Mary "Hanna" Sheehy Skeffington (née Johanna Mary Sheehy) (24 May 1877 – 20 April 1946) was a suffragette and Irish nationalist. Along with her husband Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, Margaret Cousins and James Cousins, she founded the Irish Women's Franchise League in 1908 with the aim of obtaining women's voting rights. She was later a founding member of the Irish Women Workers' Union. Her son, Owen Sheehy-Skeffington became a politician and Irish Senator.

Her sister Mary married the writer and politician Thomas Kettle. Another sister, Kathleen, married Frank Cruise O'Brien, and was the mother of Conor Cruise O'Brien. The fourth of the sisters, Margaret, married a solicitor, John Culhane, and later the poet Michael Casey. Their two brothers worked as lawyers.

Hanna Sheehy was born in Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland, the eldest daughter of Elizabeth "Bessie" McCoy and David Sheehy, an ex-Fenian and an MP for the Irish Parliamentary Party, representing South Galway. Hanna spent her earliest years on a millhouse which her father also grew up on. When Hanna was three years old the family relocated to Loughmore, Tipperary. Hanna had six siblings, one of whom died at an unknown age, there is very little written about this child. Her siblings were Margaret (born in 1875; Richard, born 1884; Eugene, born 1882; Mary, born 1884; and Kathleen, born in 1886. One of her uncles, Father Eugene Sheehy, was known as the Land League Priest, and his activities landed him in prison. He was also one of Éamon de Valera's teachers in Limerick.