Costello, Eileen (1870–1962)

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Costello, Eileen (1870–1962)

Irish politician and folklorist. Name variations: Edith Drury. Born Edith Drury, 1870, in London, England; died Mar 14, 1962; dau. of Welsh father and Limerick mother; m. Dr. Thomas Bodkin Costello (antiquarian), 1903.

Active in the Irish Revival Movement; representing Fine Gael, elected by the Dáil for the 1st to 5th Triennial periods of the Seanad (1922–36); collected a book of Connacht folksongs; organized Red Cross services during WWII; championed the cause of unmarried mothers.