The Frances Quillinan Collection

Frances Vera Butcher was born in Kent, England, in 1929, the elder daughter of Reginald Butcher, an architect and Vera Butcher. Frances began her architectural education at the Regent Street Polytechnic in London in 1946 and graduated in 1951.

Immediately following graduation, she established an independent practice under the title F. V. Butcher, Chartered Architect, ARIBA, alongside her employment with the London County Council, later the Greater London Council.

In the late 1950s, during a holiday in Ireland, Frances met her future husband, Maurice Quillinan. They married in 1960 and made their home in Limerick, where Maurice served as Harbour Master at Limerick Docks. 

In 1960, she joined the Architects' Department of Limerick Corporation, becoming the first woman architect to be employed by the local authority. Frances's employment at Limerick Corporation was initially temporary, a situation that caused her considerable frustration. Although she was effectively carrying out the duties of senior architect, the Corporation refused to appoint her permanently to that position because, as a married woman, she was automatically deemed ineligible. 

In 1971, her case was taken up by the Irish Women's Liberation Movement, and she appeared on The Late Late Show during a programme devoted to the Movement's Chains or Change manifesto. She was eventually appointed by the Public Appointments Commission to the permanent post of Senior Architect, a position she held until her retirement in 1984. Her work at Limerick Corporation included housing schemes at Moyross, South Hill and Watergate Street, as well as the refurbishment of local authority housing in St Mary's Park. She was also involved in the restoration of Limerick’s city walls.

Frances possessed a marked zest for life and a strong sense of adventure. Her commitment to architecture extended beyond professional practice to active involvement in heritage and conservation organisations, including An Taisce, on whose national executive she served, and the Irish Georgian Society, where she was also a committee member.