Woman becomes only second ever to join freemason lodge

For only the second time ever, a woman has been accepted into an Irish freemason lodge — exactly 300 years after the first.

Caroline Wollk, a retired teacher from Kilgarvan, Co Kerry, has been initiated into Wolfe Tone Lodge No 3, which is based in Ballincollig, Cork.

The lodge is affiliated to the Grand Orient de France, which, unlike some of its conservative Irish and British counterparts, actively encourages female participation.