15 Facts About Rita Childers

Margaret Childers was a press attache at the British Embassy in Dublin, civil servant and activist.

Rita Childers became the wife of the 4th president of Ireland, Erskine Hamilton Childers, and later was a candidate for the presidency.

Rita Childers's parents were Joseph and Marcella Dudley.

Rita Childers was educated at Loreto and Holy Cross schools, and later Muckross Park College.

Rita Childers completed a secretarial course and took up her first job aged 17 as a secretary at a Dublin antiques dealer.

Rita Childers went on to work at the St John Ambulance Brigade as an assistant secretary in the welfare department for 5 years, overseeing the running of 3 canteens for malnourished mothers in the inner city of Dublin.

Rita Childers took up a position as an assistant press attache in 1942 in the British representative office in Dublin.

However, a political dispute in which a partially deaf Fine Gael minister in the National Coalition government, Tom O'Donnell, misheard a journalist's question about Mrs Rita Childers and confirmed that she would be the next president led the plan to collapse.

Rita Childers continued to be a prominent public figure, engaging in public speaking to community and women's groups.

Rita Childers advocated for more women to be active in political and public life, and for greater efforts to be made in fostering a sense of community across Irish society.

Rita Childers was a supporter of the Save Wood Quay Campaign and had a continuing interest in better relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Rita Childers found a small automatic pistol in 1995, which had belonged to her husband.

Rita Childers presented to pistol to the Defence Forces and it is held in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

Rita Childers died on 9 May 2010 in Carysfort Nursing Home, Dublin.

Rita Childers is buried at Derralossory churchyard, County Wicklow, beside her husband.