Kathleen Browne

Kathleen Anne Browne (1 October 1876 – 9 October 1943) was an Irish politician, farmer, writer, historian and archaeologist.

For persons of a similar name, see Kathleen Brown (disambiguation).

Kathleen Browne
Senator
In office
1929–1936
Personal details
Born(1876-10-01)1 October 1876
Bridgetown, County Wexford
Died9 October 1943(1943-10-09) (aged 67)

She joined Sinn Féin in 1912 and the Irish Volunteers in 1914 and flew a tricolour from her family home, Rathronan Castle, during the Easter Rising. She was arrested and imprisoned in Kilmainham and Mountjoy prisons. She took the pro-treaty side during the civil war, joining Cumann na nGaedheal.[1]

She was elected to Seanad Éireann of the Irish Free State as a Cumann na nGaedheal member, at a by-election on 20 June 1929.[2] The by-election was caused by the death of Alice Stopford Green. She was re-elected for 3 years in 1931 and was re-elected for 9 years in 1934. She joined the Army Comrades Association, as known as the Blueshirts, in 1933.[1] Partly because she wore her blue blouse (the garb of the ACA) in the Seanad and the Dáil during this period, the wearing of political uniforms was banned in both houses.[3] Browne claimed not be a fascist, but had joined ranks with the ACA because she shared their Anti-Communist and Republican viewpoints. Following the merger of the Blueshirts into Fine Gael, she remained a part of the Fine Gael faction rather than continuing to follow O'Duffy's ventures such as the National Corporate Party. At this point she seemed to gravitate more towards the new Fine Gael leader W. T. Cosgrave, who she became personal friends with.[4] She served as a senator until 29 May 1936 when the Free State Seanad was abolished.

References
  1. S. Pašeta, ‘Browne, Kathleen Anne (1876–1943)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Oct 2005
  2. "Kathleen Browne". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  3. https://kathleenbrownefestival.net/biography-2/
  4. Bernard Browne, The Past: The Organ of the Uí Cinsealaigh Historical Society, No. 32 (2016), pp. 112 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26202849?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Acc2dea94086aa5da74efa88beeb58607&seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents
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