Nora Bennis
Irish housewife and political activist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nora Bennis (11 November 1940 – 11 February 2019)[1][2] was an Irish housewife and political activist from Limerick, who was a prominent advocate of traditional Catholic family values in the 1990s.[3]
11 November 1940
- Housewife
- Political activist
Nora Bennis | |
|---|---|
Bennis, c. 1990s | |
| Born | Nora Shinners 11 November 1940 |
| Died | 11 February 2019 (aged 78) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1992 to 2016 |
Political party | Catholic Democrats |
Early and personal life
Bennis was born Nora Shinners, the daughter of Paul Shinners, a veteran of the Easter Rising and Fianna Fáil supporter who emigrated to England and returned to Limerick after marrying Margaret, with whom he had five children.[3] Aged 22, Nora married Gerry Bennis, who worked for Telecom Éireann and was prominent in Limerick GAA;[3] his brothers Richie and Phil both won a 1973 All-Ireland hurling medal.[4] Nora and Gerry had three daughters and a son.[3] She taught Irish dance.[5]
Early activism
Bennis began her activism after going to a 1990 conference in Brighton hoping to hear Mother Teresa, who did not attend.[3] She was impressed by speakers who criticised the "liberal agenda".[3] After the 1992 X Case reopened Ireland's abortion debate, she started Women Working at Home and the Irish Mothers Working at Home Association, as a support network for housewives who felt isolated or ignored.[3][6] She criticised the Department of Education's sex education program as being values-free,[7] and its "Stay Safe" program of child sexual abuse awareness as undermining parental authority.[8]
In the mid 1990s, Bennis called for a boycott of a sex shop which had opened in Limerick, and staged a protest outside the shop where she led her supporters in saying the rosary. They marched barefoot up and down Ellen Street with Rosary Beads in their hands[2]
In 1994 she became leader of the Solidarity Movement, an alliance of independent political candidates linked to the Family Solidarity pressure-group.[3] She stood as an independent in Munster in the 1994 European Parliament election, getting 5% of the first-preference vote.[9] This unexpectedly strong showing increased her media profile.[3] In 1995 the Solidarity Movement was part of the "No to Divorce" campaign, one of two coalitions which opposed the successful 1995 referendum to introduce divorce.[3] After the referendum, she founded the National Party, which was anti-abortion and proposed a £100 allowance for non-working mothers.[5] She stood for the party in Limerick East in the general elections of 1997 and 2002 and the 1998 by-election, receiving progressively fewer votes.[9]
2010s
Bennis was a spokesperson for Catholic Democrats (previously named National Party and the Christian Democrats) and secretary of Mothers Alliance Ireland; both groups opposed the 2012 children's rights amendment.[10][11][12] She formed a group called Alliance of Parents Against the State, intended to co-ordinate opposition to the amendment.[13] She claimed the amendment would put children "in grave danger of being legally snatched by the State".[14]
Bennis was one of three substitutes for Catholic Democrats candidate Theresa Heaney in the South constituency in the 2014 European elections.[15] She was a candidate in the 2016 general election in the Limerick City constituency, where she failed to be elected, receiving 1.4% of the first-preference vote.[16][17][18]
Death
Bennis died in Limerick on 11 February 2019, aged 78.[2]