Simplify the following text for a Grade 14 native English-speaking person.
Original: FitzGerald 's mother , the former Mabel Washington McConnell , who , although an ardent nationalist and republican herself , was of Ulster Protestant descent , although some sources indicate that she became a Catholic on her marriage .
Simplified: FitzGerald 's mother , the former Mabel Washington McConnell , was a nationalist and republican of Ulster Protestant descent .