City-wide gender audit of art to address under-representation of women in Dublin

Dublin City Council is establishing a group to address the under-representation of women in public art around Dublin

News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 15:58, 26 Jun 2026 Updated 15:59, 26 Jun 2026 View Image Newly refurbished Molly Malone statue (Image: Collins Photo Agency)

Steps are being put in place to address the under-representation of women in Dublin ’s public art.

Lord Mayor Councillor Ray McAdam convened a meeting today with the leaders of Dubliner’s major cultural institution. Marking the official launch of a multi-phased initiative, Dublin City Council is working on a strategy to transform how women’s history is celebrated in the capital.

Entitled Foreground Women in the Public Realm, the first project will be the ‘Monument to the Women of the Revolutionary Decade’. This strategy serves as a response to the Report of the Advisory Committee on Women’s Stories, which highlighted that the majority of monuments and plaques are dedicated to men.

“When women are represented, they are disproportionately depicted as anonymous allegorical figures rather than named historical individuals,” a DCC statement explained. Today’s meeting has been described as the “beginning of a dialogue," with aims that this initial consultation will lead to the establishment of an advisory group featuring cultural institution partners who can assist with a “city-wide gender audit of art”.

“The public realm is our civic memory. It tells every child walking through our streets who mattered, what we value, and what kind of city we believe ourselves to be. This initiative is about Celebrating Dublin by telling the fuller story of Dublin, addressing the under representation of women in the places where our city remembers itself,” Lord Mayor McAdam said.

“The commissioning of a Monument to the Women of the Revolutionary Decade must be the next major step, and a catalyst for wider change. Women were not marginal to the Revolutionary Decade, and our response cannot be marginal either. Any sculpture honouring their courage, leadership and sacrifice must be located on O’Connell Street, front and centre, on our city and country’s premier street.”

Chair of the Dublin City Commemorations and Naming Committee Cllr Donna Cooney expressed her excitement about the project, which has been in development for years. “Public art should represent who we are as a nation,” she said.

“Women have not received the recognition they deserved. We want future generations of girls and women to be inspired by the women and work they did to shape the Ireland we live in now. From the fights for equality, votes for women, workers' rights in the lock out and unions, to Ireland's independence.”

Beginning in September 2026, the programme will roll out across four strategic phases:

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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