WOMEN IN THE BACKROUND OF HISTORY

Mary Teresa Hayden (1862–1942) was an Irish historian and pioneering educator. Born in Dublin on 19 May 1862, she became Ireland’s first female professor of modern Irish history at University College Dublin in 1911, an appointment that highlighted academic barriers for women.

Alongside Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, Mary Hayden co-founded the Irish Association of Women Graduates in 1902, advocating for women graduates’ employment in government, hospitals, and schools while challenging gender discrimination in public policy.