'We’ll enjoy the day and make the most of it': Cork woman to celebrate 100th birthday 

Cork woman Breda Kelly, neé O’Donovan, will be celebrating her 100th birthday this weekend.

Originally from Cregane in Timoleague, Mrs Kelly will be joined by 20 to 30 of her family members today at the Lawson House Nursing Home in Wexford, with one grandniece travelling from Philadelphia for an afternoon of celebration.

Mrs Kelly, who was raised in Cork, was first married at age 31 to Seán Lane, from Rosscarbery, in 1956, but was widowed six years later.

While she lived between Timoleague and Rosscarbery for a number of years, she then met her second husband, Diarmuid Kelly, whom she married in 1972, and moved to Enniscorthy, where she lives to this day.

Speaking to The Echo, Don Desmond, Mrs Kelly’s nephew, said: “She’s been in good health all her life. She had a brother who lived to be 103 [years old] and her own mother lived to be 102 [years old].

“I’m not sure what her secret is; she kept herself well. 

“She probably did a bit of walking [but] for a long time now she’s been taking cod-liver oil tablets, one a day, so maybe that’s helped along the way as well.

“It’s great that she’s after reaching it [the 100 year old milestone]; her mind is perfect, she’s just not mobile. She’s as sharp as yourself,” he added.

“She’s looking forward to this [celebration] now the last couple of weeks. We’ll get together from 2.30pm and have some cake and a few drinks. It’s probably been nearly 40 years since all this crowd has been together.

“There’ll be lots of photographs and maybe a song or two. She might break in to song; she sings sometimes. I was down to see her in November and she sang for us that day.

“We’ll have to wait and see now what happens Saturday. We’ll enjoy the day and make the most of it, and, hopefully, she’ll get a cheque from the President [of Ireland] as well.”

Mrs Kelly is one of 10 children born to Patrick and Catherine O’Donovan; and is the last remaining out of eight boys and two girls.