Reference Code: IE 2135 P3
Title: The Frances Condell Papers
Dates of Creation: 1920-1995 (predominantly 1961-1974)
Extent and Medium: Six boxes (300 files)
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Context
Name of Creator: Condell, Frances (1916-1986).
Biographical History: Frances Condell was born Frances Eades in 1916 in Limerick.She married Robert Condell in 1936, and by him had one child, Alan, born in 1937.Condell worked as a teacher in Villiers School from 1955 until 1959, when she was
appointed welfare officer for the Shannon Free Airport Development Company. In
1964, she was appointed public relations officer for Guinness Ireland on a part-time
basis. Condell entered local politics in 1960, when she was elected as a non-political and first ever female Councillor to Limerick City Council. She was nominated and elected mayor of Limerick in 1962, the first woman ever to be officially voted into this position in Ireland. She was re-elected as mayor in 1963, during which term she was to host several visiting dignitaries, most notably President John F. Kennedy, Senator Edward Kennedy, President Kaunda of Zambia, Cardinal Browne, and ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson, wife of president Lyndon B. Johnson. Condell withdrew from political life in 1967 owing to health problems. Throughout her life, Condell also worked as a journalist and was a regular contributor of articles and poetry to the Limerick Echo, The Church of Ireland Gazette, Woman’s Way and The Irish Independent. She died after a long illness in 1986 in Limerick.
Archival History: Unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition: Unknown. Donated to the University of Limerick prior to 1999.
Content and Structure
Scope and Content: The material consists of correspondence, speeches, press cuttings, photographs and taped interviews relating to Condell’s political career (1960-1966); typescripts and drafts of poems, articles, short stories and stories for children (1941- 1981); and genealogical material and photographs relating to the Eades family (1920- 1966), audio tapes of interviews (1979-1980). Collection highlights include letters signed by President John F. Kennedy, Senator Edward Kennedy and Mrs Lyndon B. Johnson, and correspondence with the American poet Beverley Githens Dresbach.
System of Arrangement: The material is arranged into eight series reflecting either the form of the record (e.g. correspondence) or the activities to which they relate.
Conditions of Access and Use
Conditions Governing Access: Unrestricted access to all items.
Conditions Governing Reproduction: Reproduction of the material is permitted, except for items dated after 1979 containing personal information.
Language/ Scripts of Material: English, Irish
© Copyright 2012 Special Collections Library, University of Limerick
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