Máirín Quill

Quill was born on a farm in Kilgarvan, County Kerry in 1936.[2] A schoolteacher, she qualified as a primary school teacher from Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; she followed her teaching diploma by studying by night at University College Cork for a degree in English and History, and then a Higher Diploma in Education. She taught English and History in St Vincent's Secondary School in Cork city.[2]

Quill was elected to Dáil Éireann for the Cork North-Central constituency at the 1987 general election.[3] She was one of 14 Progressive Democrat TDs resulting from that party's first general election. She had previously contested the Cork City constituency at the 1977 general election and Cork North-Central at the 1981 general election, each time as a Fianna Fáil candidate and each time losing.[2]

Quill retained her seat in two successive general elections, but lost it at the 1997 general election to Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil.[2] She was then nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to the 21st Seanad.[2] She did not contest the 2002 general election.

From 1979 until 2009, she was a member of Cork City Council, representing the North East area.[2] She did not contest the 2009 local elections.