Mary Frances McDonald
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1929
Mary Frances McDonald | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mary Frances Bowen 1929 Tuam, County Galway, Ireland |
| Died | June 2021 (aged 91–92) |
| Other names | Mamo McDonald |
| Occupations | Feminist, President of the Irish Countrywomen's Association |
| Spouse |
Eugene McDonald
(m. 1950; died 1979) |
| Children | 11 |
| Awards | People of the Year (1999) |
Mary Frances McDonald (aka Mamo McDonald, 1929 – 17 June 2021[1]) was an Irish feminist.
Born Mary Frances Bowen in Tuam, County Galway, she joined the Irish Countrywomen's Association while living in Croom, County Limerick [2] c.1947. She married Eugene McDonald in 1950, and was therefore required by law to leave her job at a bank. He died in 1979.[3]
For over sixty-four years McDonald was a member of the ICA Clones Guild, which she helped to found. She became ICA National President in 1982 and played a major role in its acceptance as part of the women's movement in late-20th century Ireland. In 1999 she received a People of the Year award in recognition of her services for Irish women and older people.[4] She was an Honorary President of the Association.
McDonald had eleven children. She described in an interview that "I didn’t start out as a feminist. It was life that made a feminist of me."[5] In 2012, she stated her belief that the most life-changing invention for women is the washing machine.[6]