Frances Condell Hat Limerick Museum
When American President John Kennedy visited Ireland in June 1963, Greenpark Racecourse, on the outskirts of Limerick, was his last stop before leaving Ireland at Shannon. Although Limerick had not originally been on the itinerary, Lord Mayor Frances Condell had campaigned to have it included. Her speech was praised by Kennedy as ‘the best I have heard since I came to Europe.’ She had this hat made especially for the event. Frances Condell was the first woman to be elected Mayor of Limerick and the only female mayor to date to serve two terms.
Her speech was praised by Kennedy as ‘the best I have heard since I came to Europe’
De Markievicz Despatch Bag Kilmainham Gaol Museum
A leather satchel belonging to Countess de Markievicz, dating to the period of the Campaign of Independence, was given to Kilmainham Gaol Museum in memory of Mary Coyle (later Mrs Mary Andrews) who had also been active during the revolutionary years. The initials ‘C de M’ (Countess de Markievicz) are on the band of the bag. When the Countess was elected as an MP for Sinn Féin in the general election in December 1918, she began to use the name Madame Markievicz. She was Secretary for Labour in the First Dáil Éireann which at the time was a proscribed organisation. She was on the run or in prison for the period 1919–1921.
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