Analysis: Limerick was not originally on the agenda for the US president's Irish visit in 1963, but Frances Condell changed all that
By Sonja Tiernan, RIA
In June 2024, the people of Limerick will have the opportunity to vote for their next mayor. The successful candidate will be the first directly elected mayor in Ireland. This will mark what Kieran O'Donnell, Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, describes as one of the most considerable reforms to local government since the foundation of the Irish state.
The bill, which successfully passed both houses of the Oireachtas last month, will provide the mayor of Limerick with significant powers in planning the strategic and economic development of Limerick. It seems appropriate that Limerick leads the way in this respect as it was the first city in Ireland to appoint a mayor, a right granted by Prince John, Lord of Ireland, in 1197 when Adam Sarvant first served as mayor.
But it was not until June 1962 that Limerick appointed a woman to the position when Frances Condell became the first female mayor of Limerick. She transformed the role of mayor from what was perceived as ceremonial into a dynamic position. Before being elected as mayor, Condell worked as a welfare officer for the Shannon Free Airport Development Company, assisting families, mainly from overseas, to settle into the area.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, campaign for Ireland's first directly elected mayor in Limerick
Condell had a keen eye for Irish business development and international trade. At the time of her election, much political discussion surrounded a prospective visit to Ireland of then US president John F. Kennedy and Condell was mindful of the economic benefits that such a high-profile visit could yield. The Irish Embassy in Washington estimated that Kennedy's visit would produce publicity worth millions of pounds to the Irish economy. Condell set an optimistic goal of including a visit to Limerick in Kennedy’s Irish itinerary.
Shannon airport, situated just over 20 kilometres from Limerick city, was the gateway between Europe and the Americas. A compulsory stopover at Shannon was then a legal requirement for transatlantic flights. If Condell could promote Limerick as a location destination for American visitors, the county could be easily reached by incoming tourists.
Limerick was not originally considered as a location for Kennedy during his busy four-day itinerary in Ireland. Much attention was given to Kennedy’s planned visit to Dunganstown in Co Wexford, where his paternal great grandfather, Patrick Kennedy, emigrated from Dunganstown in 1848. Less attention focused on the fact that Kennedy’s maternal great grandfather, Thomas Fitzgerald, was born in the Limerick town of Bruff.
Conscious of such connections to Limerick, Condell contacted Matthew McCloskey, the then American ambassador to Ireland, so often requesting a Limerick visit that he remarked 'heaven protect me from a persistent woman'. Through her persistence, it was agreed that Kennedy would visit Limerick on his return to Shannon airport before flying to England for the remainder of his European tour.
Condell left no element of Kennedy’s visit to chance. Within hours of the confirmed visit, it was decided that Greenpark Racecourse on the outskirts of the city would be the most suitable venue to accommodate a large audience. The gates to Greenpark opened at 9 am on June 29th, while special Kennedy buses ferried people from the city centre to the racecourse from the early hours.
Representatives of the Kennedy ancestry had been invited and were among the 60,000 people who attended. On Kennedy’s arrival, Condell introduced the president to the all-male group of local dignitaries. The fact that his wife, Jackie Kennedy, did not travel with him because she was heavily pregnant increased the male-centred approach of his Irish tour.
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From RTÉ Archives, US president John F Kennedy speaks to the people of Limerick in 1963
Condell took the temporary stage at the racecourse and officially welcomed President Kennedy to Limerick. Her speech was a mix of good humour and diplomacy. She highlighted the past horrors of mass emigration from Irish shores which led to the deep-rooted connection between America and Ireland. Condell used these American bonds to call for further foreign investment into the area. Kennedy’s visit to Limerick lasted less than half an hour, and in that time Condell presented a speech that earned her and Limerick national and international respect.
After his return to the United States, Kennedy wrote to McCloskey describing Condell’s speech as one of the finest that he heard during his tour of Europe. Kennedy did not live to return to Ireland; he was assassinated five months later.
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From RTÉ Archives, Limerick mayor Frances Condell welcomes US president John F Kennedy to Limerick in 1963
Condell received international attention and entertained numerous high-profile invitations afterwards, through which she continually promoted Irish goods and industry. She was re-elected as mayor of Limerick in July 1963. In June 1964, she attended the opening of the Court of Common Council, as the guest of the lord mayor of London. Condell was the first Irish mayor based outside of Dublin to be officially invited to the Mansion House in London. She dressed fully in Irish-made clothes for the event and presented dignitaries with Limerick hams.
Condell continued to host high-profile visits of dignitaries to Limerick, including Kennedy’s brother Senator Edward Kennedy, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia and 'Lady Bird' Johnson, wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson . After her term in office, Condell visited America in 1966, promoting Ireland on radio and television programmes and meeting with Jackie Kennedy. Condell suffered ill health from 1967 and withdrew from political life that year, having made a positive international impact in just a short time.
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Sonja Tiernan is a Professor of modern Irish gender history and co-ordinator of the Irish Humanities Alliance at the Royal Irish Academy. She is the author of Irish Women’s Speeches (UCD Press).
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
