Born: 4 July 1884, United Kingdom
Died: 24 April 1958
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Mabel Washington, Meadhbh ní Chonaill
This biography is republished from The Dictionary of Irish Biography and was written by William Murphy. Shared by permission in line with Creative Commons ‘Attribution’ (CC BY) licencing.
In 1910 Desmond FitzGerald met his future wife, Mabel Washington McConnell (1884–1958), who was born 4 July 1884 at College Green House, Belfast, daughter of John McConnell, managing director of the Royal Irish Distillery and a presbyterian unionist, and Margaret McConnell (née Neill) from Aldergrove, Co. Antrim. Mabel had attended Victoria College, Belfast (1894–1902), and QCB (1902–6), obtaining a BA. While in college she became an Irish-language enthusiast and convinced nationalist; she called herself ‘Meadhbh ní Chonaill’ for many years. She spent 1907 as a secretary and governess and then moved to London, where she attended St Mary’s Training College, Paddington, receiving a teaching qualification (1908). In the early months of 1909 she was secretary to George Bernard Shaw and then embarked on a world tour from March to August 1909. At the time of meeting Desmond, she was employed as a teacher in Ilford, Essex. They may have been introduced by his sister, Kate, who was also a teacher, or met at the Gaelic League. The couple regularly attended Gaelic League meetings and a lecture series on Irish history offered by Kuno Meyer; FitzGerald spent some time on the Great Blasket in the summer of 1910 (probably his first visit to Ireland). Mabel’s parents objected to Desmond, but an unexpected pregnancy led to the couple’s sudden elopement in May 1911. They were married in London and then moved to Saint-Jean-du-Doigt, Brittany, France. While in France, FitzGerald continued to write, but with little success, and their eldest son, Desmond, was born. They had four sons in all; the set completed by Pierce (b. 1914), Fergus (b. 1920), and the youngest, Garret, who became taoiseach (1981–2, 1982–7).