Bill celebrates 80th with his family
A VERY popular member of the community in the Ballagh celebrated his 80th birthday at the weekend in the company of his family.
Bill O’Reilly was delighted to celebrate the milestone event with his daughter, Caroline, sons, John and Barry, and their families.
Speaking to this newspaper, Bill’s daughter, Caroline, said the party was a great success and her dad was delighted to be surrounded by his family.
It was only immediate family given the current risk factors involved and Bill and his wife, Kathleen, have both been cocooning over the last few months.
Bill got pneumonia during the lockdown but thankfully recovered from that and that made his party all the more enjoyable for everyone.
Caroline hosted the party in her garden and thankfully the weather on Saturday was good.
Bill is originally from Blackwater but has been living in the Ballagh since 1979.
He also spent 30 years in the UK where he had a plant hire business. He operated a similar business when he returned to Ireland.
Bill is a big GAA fan and regularly listens to or watches games on the radio and TV.
Last year Caroline took him to see Wexford playing in Croke Park and he was delighted to see them win.
‘He hadn’t been to a game in over 40 years, so it was great,’ said Caroline.
What made his birthday celebration even more special was that, in addition to his own children, Bill was joined by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren for the occasion.
‘He was really delighted with the party, and family means everything to him, so it was great that we were all able to be there for him,’ Caroline added.