The Labour leader paid tribute to Constance Markievicz, one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising.

He used his speech at the Labour Women's Conference to champion the work Countess Markievicz, the first woman ever to be elected to the House of Commons, had done for women's rights in politics.

Mr Corbyn, who has previously come under fire over his associations with Sinn Fein, said he had been working with colleagues for a plaque in the new Islington library so "all generations can understand the contribution that Connie Markiewicz and so many others made."

She was unable to take her seat in 1918 because she was in Holloway Prison at the time, which is in Mr Corbyn's Islington constituency.

Including her celebrated work for women's rights, she was also a revolutionary who played a leading role in the Irish Citizen's Army.

In a speech to students in 1909 she advised: "Dress suitably in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels and gold wands in the bank, and buy a revolver."

She was second in command of the rebel forces stationed at St Stephen's Green during the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule.

The countess was sentenced to death for her part in the uprising but escaped the firing squad because she was a woman.

Mr Corbyn has already faced criticism over his association with Sinn Fein. In 1984, 14 days after the Brighton hotel bombing at the Conservative Party Conference he invited Gerry Adams to the House of Commons.

The Labour leader recently reiterated his support for a united Ireland.