Mary’s 90th party is great success
THE RIVERBANK House Hotel in Ferrycarrig was the venue for a very special event recently when it played host to Mary Murphy’s 90th birthday party.
Mary was joined by a large gathering of family members and friends on the night and one of the highlights was her grandson, Jack Murphy, surprising her having made it home from Vancouver especially for the occasion.
It was an emotional reunion and a standout moment on what was an exceptional night for all concerned.
Mary (nee: Kelly) is originally from Killinick and went to Castlebridge when she was 16 to work for the Nunn family in their malt processing business. The Nunn building is one of the landmark sites in Castlebridge and Mary worked for the family in the kitchen and it was there she met her husband Pat Murphy, who worked in the processing plant.
The couple cycled to local dances and having got married settled down and reared a family of four boys: Pat, who sadly passed away in 1998, Brendan, Seamus and Stephen.
One of the most popular members of her community Mary is well known for her love of gardening and is renowned for her straight-talking nature.
She also possesses a great sense of humour and loves having a laugh with family and friends. Mary is also well known for her culinary expertise and in particular her tarts which often feature her home grown rhubarb. The many facets of her personality were remarked upon by those in attendance at the party.
A May Day baby, the fact her birthday is the first day of summer is fitting because her positive outlook and happy nature always creates a positive feeling in the people she meets.
Mary also likes socialising and loves playing cards two nights-a-week in the local community centre. She loves being around family and that’s what made Jack’s effort to travel halfway across the world to celebrate her birthday with her all the more special. Mary also has a special bond with her neice, Mary, who brings her most places she wants to go.
Mary is lucky to still be very independent and utilises the services of Nash’s buses to travel into Wexford once-a-week to browse the shops and get a meal and a cup of tea.
She suffered heartbreak with the passing of her eldest son, Pat, to cancer and his death followed on just a few months after the passing of Seamus’s first wife, Patricia, to the same illness.
It was a tough time for all the family and then in 2005 Mary lost the love of her life when her husband, Pat, passed away. She also lost her sister, Margaret, but despite experiencing such traumatic events throughout her life Mary still manages to exhude a passion and zest for life that people half her age can only dream of.
Every Christmas morning there is a sing-song tradition in the family that Mary takes the lead in and she did likewise at her party when she performed her party piece, ‘We’ll Have a Bonfire’, which saw her conduct her own sing-along.
Her family and friends are very proud of her and that was highlighted at her party with the expressions of goodwill extended toward her.
Everyone was delighted with how the party went and the family thanked everyone for making it a truly special night for an exceptional lady.