Ellen Cuffe | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of a young Ellen Cuffe | |
| Born | Ellen Odette Bischoffsheim (1857-09-01)1 September 1857 London, England |
| Died | 29 June 1933(1933-06-29) (aged 75) Waterloo Road,Dublin, Ireland |
| Resting place | Falmouth, Cornwall, England |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Philanthropy and Politics |
| Notable work |
|
| Title | Countess of Desart |
| Movement | Gaelic League |
| Spouse | |
| Father | Henri Louis Bischoffsheim |
| Senator | |
| In office 11 December 1922 – 29 June 1933 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Independent |
Ellen Odette Cuffe, Countess of Desart (née Bischoffsheim; 1 September 1857 – 29 June 1933) was aLondon-bornJewish woman who was best known as an Irish politician, company director, Gaelicist andphilanthropist[1] inIreland. She has been called '"the most important Jewish woman in Irish history".[1]
She was the daughter ofHenri Louis Bischoffsheim, a wealthy Jewish banker of German origin. He was responsible for founding three of the largest banks in the world: theDeutsche Bank, theParibas Bank, andSociété Générale.[2] Her younger sister, Amélie Bischoffsheim, was married toSir Maurice FitzGerald, 20th Knight of Kerry.
She marriedWilliam Cuffe, the 4thEarl of Desart on 29 April 1881 at Christ Church in Down Street,Mayfair.[3]
After the death of her husband Lady Desart left the house in Cuffesgrange and moved to her home in Aut Even (a transcription ofÁit Aoibhinn, the Irish forBeautiful Place) on the outskirts ofKilkenny city. She was interested in theGaelic revival of the time and became a member of theGaelic League and was elected the president of the Kilkenny branch, succeeding her brother-in-law,Captain Otway Cuffe, who was mayor of Kilkenny.
She commissioned the village of Talbot's Inch to be built by the architectWilliam Alphonsus Scott.[4] along with several other projects she and Capt. Cuffe developed together. These included Kilkenny Library, Aut Even Hospital, the Woollen Mills, Kilkenny Woodworkers, Kilkenny Theatre, the Tobacco Growers Association, Desart Hall, and Talbots Inch Suspension Bridge.
In relation to her support of theIrish language, Lady Desart reminded the people that her own people, the Jews, had revived aforgotten language inMandate Palestine and used it to re-unite the scattered remnants of their nation.[5]
On 3 November 1910, Lady Desart formally opened the Carnegie Library for the very first time with a silver key supplied by P.T. Murphy, Jeweller, High St., Kilkenny.[6]
She was appointed to theIrish Free StateSeanad Éireann as anindependent member in December 1922 by thePresident of the Executive Council.[7] She was one of four women elected or appointed to the first Seanad in 1922.[8] She was the first Jew to serve as a Senator in Ireland.[2] She was appointed for 12 years in 1922 and served until her death in 1933.[9] Desart's rise to the role of one of the first women ever to serve in a political role in Ireland is somewhat ironic given that she had previously actually opposedwomen's suffrage: It was noted in her 1933 obituary that she had played an "energetic part" in opposing women having a place in politics, and believed that "women should not compete against men at work or play".[10]
Lady Desart, as president of the Women's Committee from 1908 to 1933, was directly involved in the rescue of approximately 300,000 women and children. She is buried along with herAnglo-Irish husband William Cuffe (from Desart Cuffsgrange, County Kilkenny) inFalmouth, Cornwall. The tombstone reads "They were together in their lives, and in their deaths they shall not be divided". She died on 29 June 1933 at Waterloo Rd, Dublin, aged 75. On her death herprobate recorded a will of £1,500,000. All of this money was donated to the various charities that she was associated with.
She is commemorated in thecity of Kilkenny's Lady Desart pedestrian bridge, which was unveiled by Kilkenny City Borough Council in 2014.[1]
A biography of Lady Desart titledThe Countess of Desart was published by Dun Emer Press (2021) by Gabriel Murray.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
