Show Details
In this moving episode of The Heart of Maine, Michael Connolly sits down with Fran Seeley (nee McDowell), whose remarkable life bridges revolutionary Ireland and the classrooms of Portland, Maine. Born into a working-class Dublin family with roots in the historic Liberties, Fran grew up with the legacy of the 1916 Easter Rising close to home—her father Patrick fought alongside Éamon de Valera at Boland's Mills during that pivotal moment in Irish history.
Fran's journey took her from the Sisters of Charity convents of Dublin and Southern California to a new life in Limerick, Maine with her late husband Jim. After settling in Portland's Riverton neighborhood, she found her calling as an AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent at the Gerald E. Talbot Elementary School, where generations of children have known her simply as "Grammie Fran.”
Join us for an intimate conversation about faith, family, loss, and the enduring power of service—a story that reminds us how one person's love can span continents and touch countless lives.
