This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by Marie Coleman. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
Born: 10 October 1889, Ireland
Died: 29 August 1974
Country most active: Ireland
Also known as: Mary Smyth
Mary Bridget Reynolds (1889–1974), merchant and politician, was born in October 1889 in Dromcoura, Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim, second eldest among four daughters and three sons of Patrick Smyth and Mary Smyth (née Holohan). Educated at Gortahoose national school and the Convent of Mercy, Ballinamore, she also emigrated to the USA, and while there married Patrick Reynolds (c.1915); they had two daughters and five sons. After her husband’s death the election for the constituency of Leitrim–Sligo was postponed until March 1932, when she contested it in place of her husband and was elected with only 13 votes to spare over her nearest rival. She was defeated in the 1933 general election, but regained her seat for the new constituency of Leitrim in 1937, remaining as Fine Gael TD for Leitrim (1937–48) and Sligo–Leitrim (1948–61) until her retirement from politics in 1961. Noted as a constituency rather than a national politician, she did not speak in the dáil until 1942. The period 1947–52 was her most active parliamentary phase, and the issues that concerned her were those most closely affecting her constituency: public health, land, postwar shortages of agricultural commodities, housing, employment, and local amenities. She was succeeded as TD (Fine Gael) by her son, Pat Joe Reynolds (1920–2003) (Roscommon, 1961–9; Roscommon–Leitrim, 1973–7), who was also a member (1942–85) and chairman (1967–79) of Leitrim county council, and served as parliamentary secretary to the ministers for local government and the public service during the Fine Gael–Labour coalition of 1973–7. Her grandson, Gerry Reynolds, was elected Fine Gael TD for Sligo–Leitrim in 1987 and also served as a member of Leitrim county council. Mary Reynolds died 29 August 1974, leaving an estate of £1,449.