Frances Margaretly Oppermann

CLICK TO VIEW PICTURE OF: FRANCES, MARGARETLY DONNELLY (Nee Oppermann)

Frances, Fran as she is fondly known, is the third eldest child of Carl and Mary Oppermann and was born in 27 Synge Street. She went to school in the Presentation Convent in Terenure. Following her school years she remained at home to be a help to her mother. Frances was a very athletic young lady who excelled at table tennis and lawn tennis in the Orwell Tennis Club in Rathgar. She was a member of their 2nd team for some years.

In the summer of 1941, Frances went to one of the Sunday evening dances in the Orwell Tennis Club where she met Seamus Donnelly. Seamus and Frances started courting shortly after that. They got engaged on 17 March 1943 and had a double wedding two years later. They were married in the Three Patrons Church, Rathgar Road and had the wedding reception at home in Kennilworth Square. Her father Carl did the majority of the catering for the wedding. Due to the War Frances and Seamus spent their honeymoon in Cork. It took them two days to get to Cork, they stayed in the Metropole in Cork City the first night and following this went to Youghal where they spent the remainder of the time.

On their return from honeymoon, Frances and Seamus went to live in Furrey Park in Raheny where they remained for five years where their sons Jim and Paul were born. They then moved to Kennilworth Square for a short period of time, where Maureen was born. Following this they moved to Bray and finally they went to live in Stillorgan Road.

Fran is an excellent cook, her culinary moment is always remembered as a home meal for ten people which she gave in the late sixties. The dinner table was resplendent with all types of vegetables and the two waiters, her sons Jim and Paul, arrived with ten poussins, one for each plate. It is fair to say that no one had even seen such a dish and it was remembered for years afterwards.

Christmas was always a major event in Fran’s life. She held an open house for three days where drinking started early on Christmas morning with often up to 20 guests. This was followed by a large sit-down lunch for 12 to 14 people at approximately 4pm. The third session started at about 9pm, with even more guests arriving, with party pieces from the children and late-night cold buffet and then a poker session until the very early hours. The next days were the racing on the Monday with cold sandwiches and more for a wide variety of guests or late-night sessions after the dogs. It was a wonderful time and the children now adults remember it as high point of a glorious childhood. What no one ever saw was the weeks of preparation of the continuous cooking of mince pies, Christmas puddings, Christmas cakes, Dundee cakes as even the consume soup took three days to prepare, and at the centre of everything was Fran.

Seamus was the company director of the family business Hickey Fabrics where he worked until his death in 1974. Two years after Seamus’s death Frances moved to Richmond Hill, Monkstown. She had a keen interest in cards and started playing bridge in the four seasons club. Frances enjoys reading in particular historical novels.

Fran and Seamus had three children, Jim, Paul and Maureen all of whom married and had children of their own. Fran is also very family orientated and loved looking after her six grandchildren.

Fran’s love for her brothers was legendary. She lived to care for Carl, Willie and Johnny and grieved terrible for each, after spending weeks with each before they died. She has a very stoic view of life, with a bit of mysticism built in. With each passing, she grew to accept that dying was part of life but daily she remembers them especially when she dreams. Which are often something more akin to a spiritual epic in which she communicates with them and can wake saying Johnny said this or Willie said that!

Fran sleep talks and thinks nothing of chatting to Johnny and lately her sister Sophia. These dream-like chats are often hours long. A very funny aspect is Sophia and Fran were very competitive in life, neither giving the other an inch, even though they loved each other. Well in the dream world, peace has not broken out and they still compete.

Finally, we come to her sister Maureen who Fran really loved. She does not come to the family dream meeting often, but without any doubt, Fran was at her happiest when she visited Canada, where Joe and Maureen made her a part of the family. In every picture you see from this part of her life, happiness just shines through. Maureen’s daughter Elizabeth and her husband Ron, together with Joe and Maureen’s other daughter Cathy contact Fran on a monthly basis and Fran’s first words are always “I was just about to call you”. Maureen just took a special part in Fran’s life, quieter but deeper.

On 20th March 2019, Fran reached her 100th birthday. She celebrated it with a fabulous party in the Raddison St. Helen's Hotel in Booterstown.