9 Famous Irish Women

Updated On: April 05, 2024 by   Ciaran Connolly

Many brilliant, famous Irish women have paved the way for others. From authors, writers, historians, fighters, and more, Irish women are among the world’s most inspirational and fearless women.

As International Women’s Day is at the beginning of March, we thought we would acknowledge some amazing Irish women who have helped shape Ireland, challenged stereotypes and followed their dreams. These women, both past and present, have left their mark on Ireland and the world.

List of Famous Irish Women

Here is our guide to all the famous Irish women you should know about:

• Maureen O’Hara

The icon Maureen O’Hara is first on our list of famous Irish women. She was one of the last actresses from Hollywood’s golden age. Over her incredible six-decade-long acting career, Maureen O’Hara appeared in a dozen films. She was particularly famous for playing fiercely passionate female characters.

Born in Dublin in 1920, O’Hara was trained in theatre and began acting at a young age, as she always had aspirations of being an actress.

In 1939, Maureen O’Hara moved to America to pursue her acting career, and she successfully landed her first role in the production of The Hunchback of Norte Dame. From that moment onwards, O’Hara kept getting roles in films and grew in popularity within Hollywood. She was best known for her role in the famous movie ‘The Quiet Man’ in 1952.

In addition, Maureen paved the way for Irish people to make it American, showing that it was possible. She left Ireland to pursue her dreams in the USA, carving a successful career and bringing great talent to the world stage. Her talent is still celebrated today, and she will forever be known as an acclaimed Irish actress.

• Countess Markievicz

Next up on our list of famous Irish women is Countess Markiewicz, who played a dominant role in the Irish Citizen Army and the women’s rights movement. She was born in 1868 in London but moved to County Sligo when she was a very young child.

Although she was born into a privileged life, she dedicated much of her life to helping people experiencing poverty. Markievicz was the first-ever Irish female Minister of Labour from 1919 to 1922. Incredibly, she was the only woman out of 18 other female candidates to win a seat.

She also took part in the Easter Rising in 1916, when the Irish republicans attempted to end British rule in Ireland. During the early days of the rebellion, Markievicz was everywhere, doing what she could, from nursing to delivering messages to the highest-ranking members of the rebellion.

Countess Markievicz went against the norm of what was expected of women at that time. She stood firm, fighting for what she believed in and for the rights of others.

• Katie Taylor

One of the most famous Irish women in modern times as a world-class boxer is Katie Taylor. At this moment, she is the unified lightweight female world champion. Taylor holds the WBA title from 2017, the IBF title from 2018, and the WBO title since March 2019.

Born and raised in Bray County Wicklow, she began boxing at 11 years old, coached by her father, Peter Taylor. She first had a taste of success at the amateur boxing games, winning five consecutive gold medals at the Women’s World Championships and six gold medals at the European Championship.

Katie quickly became popular in Ireland. She is often credited with bringing women’s boxing to the world stage. She also went on to win gold at the London Olympics in 2012. Turning professional in 2016, Katie Taylor continued to succeed in boxing and paved the way for future female boxers.

Taylor is regarded as one of the best athletes to come from Ireland. She shows no sign of slowing down and will continue transforming the boxing world.

• Mary Robinson

Next, we have the first-ever female president of Ireland, the remarkable Mary Robinson. She has achieved a lot in her life and is definitely one of the most famous Irish women who has played a role in shaping the country.

In December 1990, Robinson was inaugurated as the seventh president of Ireland and the first woman president. Even before that, she broke boundaries, becoming the youngest law professor after studying at Trinity College at 25.

While Mary was president, it’s widely regarded that she helped to bring a fresh approach to the office and started the steps to transform Ireland for the better. She even helped to sort out Angelo-Irish relations and visited Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. More so, she left her presidency two months early to take up a job as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mary Robinson was also a massive campaigner for women. She would put her own money into liberal campaigns to help strengthen women’s positions. She helped fight for women’s rights to sit on juries and family planning rights for women in Ireland.

As one of the famous Irish women, Mary Robinson was a great leader and still a great role model for the people of Ireland and around the world.

• Carmel Snow

You might not have heard of this Irish woman unless you are highly interested in the world of high fashion. Carmel Snow was one of the famous Irish women. She was a fashion icon of her time and one of the most influential people in the fashion world during the 1900s. She was born in Dublin in 1887 but emigrated to America with her mother after her father died in 1893.

Furthermore, Carmel Snow became the editor-in-chief for Harper’s Bazaar, an American women’s fashion magazine. Before taking that job role, Snow began her fashion career as an editor for Vogue. The owner of Vogue, Conde Nast, was very impressed with Carmel Snow and helped to nurture her talent for more critical roles within the fashion company.

But eventually, she jumped ship to work for Harpers Bazaar magazine. There, she had more freedom to create her own ideas and helped transform the magazine into a highly influential fashion magazine.

Carmel Snow was one of the most extraordinary fashion editors of her time and one of the very famous Irish women who owned her craft.

• Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Ireland boasts an incredible number of scientists who have gained success in mathematics, physics, and astronomy throughout history. One of the very famous Irish women is Scientist Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Armagh native Jocelyn Bell Burnell is best known for discovering radio pulsars in 1967. The BBC even described this as “one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 20th Century.”

In 1974, the discovery was nominated for a Nobel Prize in Physics. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a recipient, even though she was the first to observe the pulsars. However, she was awarded a Breakthrough Prize for discovering radio pulsars, finally giving her well-deserved recognition for her scientific leadership. She was awarded an incredible 2.3 million with the prize. Burnell donated the money to fund women and underrepresented ethnic minorities to become physics researchers.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell, through her scientific achievements, has become a highly respected leader in the scientific community.

• Saoirse Ronan

The world-class actress Saoirse Ronan is next on our list of famous Irish women. Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1994 to Irish parents, she moved to Ireland at age three. Ronan has taken the acting world by storm. She started out as a child actress, appearing in critically acclaimed films like Atonement.

More so, her role in Atonement saw her become the youngest-ever actress nominated for an Academy Award at 13 years old. From then onwards, she has been cast in various roles that showcase her brilliant acting ability. Some of her best roles include ‘The Lonely Bones’ (2009), Hanna (2011), Lady Bird (2017), and her newest role, Mary Queen of Scots (2019).

Incredibly, at only 24 years old, Saoirse Ronan has appeared in over 27 films and received many awards. These awards include a Golden Globe Award. She was nominated for three Academy Awards and four British Academy Film Awards.

• Kay McNulty

I bet most people wouldn’t know that one of the world’s first computer programmers was an Irish woman! This famous Irish woman is Donegal born Kay McNulty Mauchly Antonelli (1921 -2006). Kay and her family emigrated to America in 1924, and she was raised in Pennsylvania. While there, she attended a High School, which girls from Ireland could only dream of during that period.

Furthermore, Kay won a scholarship to attend Chestnut Hill College for Women. She was one of three students to graduate with high accolades in Maths. After this, she was one of six women selected to work for the USA Army on their ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) program. What’s incredible about these women is that they had to teach themselves how to program!

McNulty helped create the first general-purpose electronic digital computer. Her pioneering work wasn’t acknowledged until decades later when she was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 1997.

• Edna O’Brien

Next up on our list of famous Irish women is novelist, playwright, and short storyteller Edna O’Brien. She has been considered as one of the most gifted Irish writers. Much of O’Brien’s work revolved around women’s feelings and problems with men and society.

Her first novel ‘The Country Girls’ is often highlighted for breaking social issues in Ireland following World War Two. She has written over twenty works of fiction and a biography about James Joyce and Lord Byron.

In 2001, she received various writing awards, including the Irish Pen Award. Her short story collection Saints and Sinners won the critically acclaimed Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award in 2011.

Furthermore, Edna O’Brien’s work is known for helping to change Irish fiction by bringing women’s experiences to the pages.

This list of famous Irish women doesn’t escape the barrel of the incredible, fearless, and talented women from Ireland. Are there any inspirational Irish women that inspire you? We would love to know!

Other blogs that might interest you: Famous Irish People Who Made History in Their Lifetime | Famous Irish Authors Who Helped Promote Irish Tourism | 100 Best Irish Historical Fiction to Consider Reading |