29-06-2002
St. Vincent's celebrates 102nd Birthday
There were celebrations in St. Vincent's Hospital, Mountmellick, on Thursday last as Portarlington woman Ellen troy marked her 102nd birthday, surrounded by family, friends, staff and other patients.
The hospital was decked out with streamers and balloons as Ellen and the assembled well wishers got into the party spirit. A large cake was made by the catering staff for the special occasion.
Mrs Paula Phelan, assistant director of nursing presented a delighted Ellen with a coin sent by President McAleese featuring a poem by WB Yeats while Sr. Anne Marie Bannon, clinical nurse manager, read out the president's letter.
For her 100th birthday, Ellen received a cheque for £2000 from Aras an Uachtaran as it was millennium year. Last year she was presented with a silver coin bearing a Seamus Heaney poem, and a letter.
The staff of St. Vincent's Hospital made a big effort to ensure that their oldest patient had a memorable 102nd birthday. There was music and dancing and her visitors included Deputy John Moloney, Parish Priest Fr. Michael Noonan, and the newly appointed Bishop Moriarty.
Ellen, a native of Bracklone Street, likes to keep active and gets around the ward with the help of her walker. She enjoys hearing all the news from her many visitors from Portarlington and reads the newspapers.
A non-smoker and drinker, she attributes her longevity to hard work. In the booklet 'The Road to St. Vincent's' a project undertaken by Christine Dalton at the hospital and Laois Writers Group and published last April, Ellen Troy is featured in 'A century of Memories' by Lal Curtain. She said she loved St. Vincent's. "I came here about four years ago because I got fed up of living on my own. I don't regret it one bit."
She told how her brother had died at four and a half months and her mother then died when she was just a year old. She then went to live with her aunt May Duffy and her husband in their public house at Main Street, Portarlington.
In 'The Road to St. Vincent's' she recalled how her uncle would go to the railway station with the dray to collect barrels of porter. She laughed as she remarked, "It all seems so slow back then, when you think of how fast things are today!"
She remarked that the pub was a great meeting place for boatmen. "Those men worked hard on the canal barges and came into town with a sack each, for their groceries. They would go to the pub for a few drinks before going back to their boats," she told Lal Curtain.
Ellen outlined how she used to pull every cork by hand with a corkscrew and bottle porter and label bottles before she went to school. She recalled going Maypole dancing every Sunday afternoon in Killenard. She also enjoyed dancing half sets and waltzes in Cloneygowen.
Ellen's late husband was a master cobbler making surgical boots by special order. She remembered the IRA digging trenches to keep the Black and Tans from travelling around the country and that the 'Tans' would come into town and round up all able bodied men to fill the trenches up again.
She told Lal Curtain how one time the priest told everybody to lock themselves in the Church and when the 'Tans' came, he refused to let them in.
Thrilled to see Ellen so well and active at 102, the staff, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, friends and fellow patients wished her continued good health and happiness.
Mountmellick edge towards semi final
Mountmellick………0-11 Annanough…….1-06
Beaten in the last two finals Annanough are facing an uphill battle to make the knockout stages after a narrow victory over Abbeyleix.
They face Mountmellick at Stradbally on Sunday evening. Mountmellick had earlier beaten Ballyfin and were in confident mood to claim another scalp.
Annanough played their best football in the opening half. Tom Fenlon scored the games only goal. Points followed from Colin Miller and Donal Miller. Mountmellick lost Dara Hanlon injured but his replacement Niall Lynch came on to play a major role. He scored a couple of fine points. At half time, Annanough shaded matters leading 1-3 to 0-5. On the changeover stretched their advantage with points from Tom Fenlon and Ray Stapleton.
Then Shane Conlon got two back for Mountmellick, Jarlath Challoner levelled. Late points from John Gillennan and Niall Lynch gave Mountmellick victory.
