Wales’ 10th Purple Plaque was unveiled in Flint on June 10th, 2022 to mark the life of the campaigning East Flintshire MP and one-time journalist, Eirene White.
Eirene White, born Eirene Jones, became one of the first three women ever to represent Wales in Parliament and the first to represent East Flintshire which she did from 1950 to 1970.
Prior to this, in 1945, she was the first woman journalist to be accredited as a political correspondent at The Manchester Guardian.
For 10 years – from 1951 to 1957 and from 1966 to 1970 – she was Wales’ only female MP, holding her marginal constituency for two decades until she became Baroness White of Rhymney in the House of Lords in 1970 (a title she chose to mark her father’s place of birth).
Born in Belfast to a Welsh family, Eirene spent her childhood in Barry. After winning a place at Oxford University she travelled to the United States where she learned about racial discrimination (through her friend the singer Paul Robeson) and the value of public libraries while working in the New York library on 42nd Street.
While an MP she was active in promoting equal pay, nursery provision and further education and put forward a Private Members’ Bill to reform divorce law.
In a long political career she served as a Minister at the Foreign Office, the Welsh Office and as a life peer. She was chairman of the Labour party from 1968-69 and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords for a decade (1979-89).
Following her lifelong passion for libraries, Eirene White was president of the prestigious college for mature students, Coleg Harlech, founded by her father. She was also a Governor of the National Library of Wales and chair of the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology.
Eirene White also wrote two books – one called, ‘Thomas Jones: founder of Coleg Harlech’, and one called, ‘The Ladies Of Gregynog’ about the philanthropist sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies who set up the Gregynog Press.
Eirene Lloyd White, Baroness White of Rhymney, was born November 7 1909; died December 23, 1999.
Eirene White – Neuadd y Dref y Fflint
Fe gafodd 10fed Plac Porffor Cymru ei ddadorchuddio yn y Fflint ar Fehefin y 10fed 2022 i nodi bywyd y newyddiadurwraig a’r ymgyrchydd o Aelod Seneddol dros Ddwyrain Sir y Fflint, Eirene White.
Roedd Eirene White yn un o’r tair menyw gyntaf i gynrychioli Cymru yn San Steffan a’r gyntaf i gynrychioli Dwyrain Sir y Fflint, sef rhwng 1950 a 1970.
Cyn hynny, ym 1945, hi oedd y fenyw gyntaf i gael ei phenodi’n ohebydd gwleidyddol ar bapur y Manchester Guardian.
Am ddeng mlynedd – rhwng 1951 a 1957 a rhwng 1966 a 1970 – hi oedd yr unig AS benywaidd yn cynrychioli etholaeth yng Nghymru, a daliodd yr etholaeth ymylol am ddau ddegawd hyd nes iddi fynd i Dŷ’r Arglwyddi fel Farwnes White o Rymni (man geni ei thad) ym 1970.
Ganed Eirene yn Belfast i deulu Cymreig, ond treuliodd ei phlentyndod yn y Barri. Ar ôl astudio ym Mhrifysgol Rhydychen teithiodd i'r Unol Daleithiau lle dysgodd am hiliaeth trwy ei chyfeillgarwch â’r canwr a’r actor, Paul Robeson. Tra’n gweithio yn llyfrgell Efrog Newydd ar 42nd Street daeth i sylweddoli gwerth llyfrgelloedd cyhoeddus a’r pwysigrwydd o’u hyrwyddo.
Fel AS, gweithiodd i hyrwyddo cyflog cyfartal, darpariaeth feithrin ac addysg bellach, a chyflwynodd Fesur Aelod Preifat i ddiwygio cyfraith ysgariad.
Yn ystod ei gyrfa wleidyddol hir gwasanaethodd fel Gweinidog yn y Swyddfa Dramor, y Swyddfa Gymreig ac yn Nhŷ’r Arglwyddi. Bu’n gadeirydd y blaid Lafur ym 1968-9 ac yn Ddirprwy Lefarydd ar Dŷ’r Arglwyddi am ddegawd (1979-89).
Yn ogystal â’i gwaith dros lyfrgelloedd, bu Eirene White yn llywydd ac yn gadeirydd Coleg Harlech, ‘coleg yr ail gyfle’, a sefydlwyd gan ei thad. Gwasanaethodd hefyd ar fwrdd llywodraethwr Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru ac fel Cadeirydd Athrofa Gwyddoniaeth a Thechnoleg Prifysgol Cymru.
Roedd Eirene White yn awdur ar ddau lyfr, ‘The Ladies of Gregynog’, hanes y chwiorydd ffilanthropig Gwendoline a Margaret Davies, sefydlwyr Gwasg Gregynog, a ‘Thomas Jones: Founder of Coleg Harlech’.
Ganwyd Eirene Lloyd White, y Farwnes White o Rymni, 7 Tachwedd, 1909; bu farw 23 Rhagfyr, 1999.