The only woman ever to serve as a Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry North

A native of Athea in County Limerick, Kit Ahern (neé Liston) holds the distinction of having been the only woman ever to serve as a Fianna Fáil TD in the constituency of Kerry North. Active in Fianna Fáil from a young age, she entered politics at a time when Fianna Fáil in Kerry North was a stronghold of the McEllistrim dynasty and an emerging force in local politics, Denis Foley from Tralee, who ultimately displaced her in the Dáil in 1981.

Born on 13 January 1915 to Paddy and Mary Ann Liston, she studied at the National College of Art and Design and qualified as an art teacher. She married Dan Ahern from Athea in 1941 and

Kit Ahern

joined the Women’s Home Guard and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.

Ahern was first elected to Kerry County Council in 1967 at the top of the poll in the Listowel Electoral Area. She became the first ever female chairperson of the Council in 1977. The only other women ever to hold that post were Mary O’Donoghue from Caherciveen, mother of the former Ceann Comhairle and minister, John O’Donoghue and Sinn Féin councillor, Toiréasa Ferris, daughter of Martin Ferris TD.

She was nominated to Seanad Éireann by An Taoiseach Sean Lemass on 25 November 1964 to replace the late senator Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha (also known as ‘An Seabhac’) who was from Dingle. Her first general election outing came at the 1965 election, as a running mate to Thomas McEllistrim Jnr. She failed to win a seat but secured a nomination from Fianna Fáil again in 1969 and 1973, with her percentage of the vote increasing on each occasion.

Ahern retained her Seanad seat in 1969, on this occasion being elected on the Cultural and Educational Panel. Again, following defeat at the general election of 1973, she was re-elected to the Seanad. She was defeated for the position of Leas Cathaoirleach on 20 June 1973 by Fine Gael’s Evelyn Owens.

The Jack Lynch-led Fianna Fáil landslide of 1977 propelled Ahern into the Dáil with a vote (20.29%) almost as high as the well-established McEllistrim (20.98%). Her time in the Dáil was short however and she was defeated at the 1981 general election. She decried the fact that the two other Fianna Fáil candidates in that election, McEllistrim and Denis Foley “came into my territory and never left it” during the campaign.[1]

Ahern later moved to Ballybunion and did not contest another general election and in 1985 left Fianna Fáil to join the newly formed Progressive Democrats under Des O’Malley. Ahern was an Irish language enthusiast and remained active in the Irish Countrywomen’s Association, serving as its national president from 1961 to 1964. She also served for a time on the board of Bord Fáilte. 

At the time of her death 27 December 2007 aged 92 years, Ahern was the oldest surviving former member of the Oireachtas.

Kit Ahern is one of only two Kerry North TDs to have a road named after them (Kit Ahern Road in Ballybunion), the only other being Dan Spring (Dan Spring Road in Tralee).

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[1] The Kerryman, 19 June 1981