Primrose McConnell facts for kids

Primrose McConnell (born in 1906, died in 1991) was an Irish missionary. She spent many years helping people in Haiti.

Life Story

Early Life

Primrose McConnell was born in 1906. Her birth name was Frances Elaine Beckett. She grew up in Foxrock, Dublin, Ireland. Her father, George F. Beckett, was an architect. Primrose had one brother and one sister. The famous writer Samuel Beckett was her cousin. They both studied at Trinity College Dublin at the same time.

Work in Haiti

In 1934, Primrose married the Rev. H. Ormonde McConnell in Jamaica. They had four children: Patrick, Marian, Alec, and Hazel. Her husband was a Methodist minister. He was sent to work in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The couple lived in Haiti for 36 years. They learned Creole, which is the local language. They even helped create a written way to spell Creole words. They used a special teaching method called Laubach. With this, they started programs to teach children and adults how to read and write. They also started a school called Nouveau Collège Bird.

Primrose and her husband published many books in Creole. Because of their work, Creole became well-known. It was later made an official language of Haiti, along with French.

Primrose asked her father to design a new Methodist church in Port-au-Prince. This church opened in 1954. Primrose was also a talented musician. She played the piano and organ, and she loved to sing.

Later Years

Primrose and her husband retired in 1970. They moved back to Ireland. Primrose McConnell passed away on May 29, 1991. She is buried in Holywood, County Down. A special service was held for her in the church in Port-au-Prince to remember her work.