Nancy is gearing up for extra special Christmas
DECEMBER 25 MARKS 100TH BIRTHDAY FOR BUNCLODY WOMAN
CHRISTMAS Day will be particularly special for well-known Bunclody woman Nancy Bond as she will celebrate her 100th birthday.
More accurately, Nancy is a Kerry-woman, as she was born in Castlemaine, Co Kerry, on December 25, 1916, but Bunclody has been her home since the 1940s.
Born Nancy O’Connor, she was the eldest of twelve siblings. She found herself in Bunclody after answering a newspaper ad for Steemers Shop.
She ended up staying in Bunclody when she met and later married Eddie Bond. They ran a busy bakery for many years on the main street where a laundrette is now.
She is often asked for the secret to her long life, and she says ‘a hard day’s work never killed anyone.’
She has lived at Valentia Nursing Home in Camolin for the past three years. Her niece, the late Norrie Hogan, who ran Valentia, was like a daughter to her, and Nancy greatly enjoys the company of her extended family who still run Valentia, including Norrie’s daughter Caroline and her husband Billy and her father Kieran.
She also has made many friends at Valentia, and enjoys reading her daily newspaper, and visiting the Oratory on a daily basis.
She was also well travelled in her younger years, visiting places such as Rome, Lourdes, and the Holy Land.
Her many friends from Bunclody regu- larly visit her as she likes to keep up with all the local news.
Around thirty of them visited her recently for a party to celebrate her milestone birthday. Around 120 people enjoyed an afternoon of celebrations.
Her grand-niece Ciara said that she loved every minute of it, and even gave a speech, thanking everyone for their kind wishes.