Mayo born Kathleen Lynn was one of the first female medical doctors to qualify in Ireland. As a young woman at the turn of the twentieth century, she became involved in Cumann na mBan and James Connolly's Irish Socialist Party.
During the 1916 Rising she was Chief Medical Officer for the Irish Citizen Army and saw active service in City Hall, Dublin. Imprisonment, deportation and time on the run followed. A prominent member of Sinn Féin, she was elected to the first Dáil. In 1919 she founded St Ultan's Hospital for Infants.
In her roles as activist, politician, doctor and rebel she worked throughout her life to improve the lot of the poorest and least-heard citizens of the city.
