Helena Molony was born on January 15, 1883 in Dublin, to Michael Molony and Catherine McGrath. In 1903, Molony joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland) and began a lifelong commitment to the nationalist cause. In 1908, she became the editor of the organization's monthly newspaper, Bean na hÉireann (Woman of Ireland). Molony organized the supply of daily school meals to children in impoverished areas, and pressured corporations to provide proper meals to hungry children in Dublin.
Molony had a career as an actress, and was a member of the Abbey Theatre. However, her primary commitment was to her political work. She was credited with bringing many into the Irish Republican movement, including Constance Markievicz. As a labor activist, Molony was a close colleague of Markievicz and of James Connolly. In November 1915, Connolly appointed Molony secretary of the Irish Women Workers' Union. Molony was a prominent member of Cumann na mBan, a republican women's paramilitary organization formed in April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers. During the 1916 Easter Rising, Molony was one of the Citizen Army soldiers who attacked Dublin Castle. Molony was arrested by British forces and imprisoned until December 1916.
After the Irish Civil War, Molony became the second female president of the Irish Trades Union Congress. She remained active in the republican cause during the 1930s, particularly with the Women's Prisoner's Defence League. She retired from public life in 1946, but continued to work for women's labor rights. She died in Dublin on January 29, 1967 following a stroke.
