Olwyn Enright’s decision not to stand at the next General Election is a blow both to the Fine Gael party and to women of all parties in the Dáil according to Deputy Deirdre Clune, one of the four remaining female TDs in Fine Gael among 48 male TDs.

As a young woman with a lot to offer in terms of her legal background, her political experience at local and national level and her commitment to serving her constituents, Olwyn embodied the type of person we need to encourage into the Dáil. Her decision not to stand for re-election I am sure it was a difficult one for her and her family and it brings to the fore the challenges facing women in politics.

Olwyn and myself are two of only 78 women ever elected to the Dáil since the first election of female candidates in 1918. The last general election saw 22 female TDs elected to the Dáil out of 166, just 13.25%.

 Women politicians bring a different focus and a different set of priorities to their work and Irish politics could benefit from this. We need more women in Irish politics at all levels, at the Cabinet table, in the Dáil Chamber and in our Local Authority meeting rooms.”

Her departure should kick start a real debate on how to address the current gender imbalance in Irish politics. This debate should start within political parties to decide if they want to address the imbalance and how they are going to go about.