Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1880-1995 (predominantly 1961-1974) (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
6 boxes
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Frances Condell was born Frances Eades on 29 June 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 on 10 November 1986 in Limerick.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Donated to the University of Limerick by Alan and Avril Condell prior to 1999.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The material consists of correspondence, speeches, press cuttings, photographs and taped interviews relating to Frances Condell’s political career; typescripts and drafts of poems, articles, short stories and stories for children; genealogical material and photographs relating to the Eades family; and assorted recordings. 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 (1903-1971).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
All records have been retained.
Accruals
No accruals are expected.
System of arrangement
The material is arranged into eight series reflecting either the form of the record or the activities to which they relate.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted access to most items except magnetic tape. No access to P3/8/1-4 until digitized. Digital access to the contents of P3/8/5-22 is available in the reading room – please check with a member of staff.
Conditions governing reproduction
Standard copyright regulations apply to all items. For photocopying or reproducing material, please consult with the staff.
Language of material
- Béarla
- Gaeilge
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Mostly paper documents and photographs in good condition. Items P3/8/1-22 are magnetic recordings.
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Digital copies of Limerick City Council minute books from 1841 to 1972 are available at https://www.limerick.ie/discover/explore/historical-resources/limerick-archives/limerick-city-council-minute-books-1841. A transcript of Condell’s interview relating to the John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Project (see P3/3/4/2/2) is available at https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/JFKOH. The Limerick Archives hold photographs of Frances Condell taken during President John F. Kennedy's visit to Limerick. Other records relating to Condell’s working life are held at the Red Cross Society, Guinness Group Sales (Ireland), and General Electric Company. Items of more personal nature remain in private hands.
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Dresbach, Beverley Githens (1903-1971), American poet (Subject)
- Johnson, Lyndon B. (1908-1973), 36th president of the United States (Subject)
- Johnson, Claudia Alta ‘Lady Bird’ Johnson née Taylor (1912-2007), wife of Lyndon B. Johnson (Subject)
- Kennedy, Edward (1932-2009), United States senator (Subject)
- Kennedy, John F. (1917-1963), 35th president of the United States (Subject)
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
This description follows guidelines based on ISAD(G) 2nd edition (2000), Irish Guidelines for Archival Description (2009), National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names (1997) and EAP Guidance on Data Protection for Archive Services (2018).
Status
Level of detail
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
Papers arranged and described by Seán Liston in November 2008 and revised in July 2021. Mary Collery Ryan’s MA thesis, 'Frances Condell – A Citizen of Limerick' (University of Limerick, 1995), was used in the preparation of the finding aid.