Mayo native living in Galway celebrates 103rd birthday and reveals secret for lengthy life
The world Catherine Conway was born into is a far cry from the world where she blew out her 103 birthday candles. Born on July 19 1923 - “but the state recognise it on the 25th as that’s when I was registered” - in a rural area just outside Ballinrobe in Mayo, Catherine worked hard all her life and maintains it’s one of three reasons why she is living to such a great age.
Residing in Ballinasloe since the 1980s, she told Galway Live that religion and gardening are her other two key bits of advice, though her son Eamon jokes “as for the gardening, she just orders me around now”.
Catherine celebrated her birthday a tad earlier this year as one of her ten grandchildren had come down with a cake to surprise her from Belfast.
The great-grandmother-of-12 is still flying it and loves spending time with her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, which, as you can imagine would quickly fill any size of a house.
“My life motto is less said, best said,” says Catherine.
Her son Eamon continues: “Mam still goes to mass and would always be respectful of everyone. She is a confidant to all and would never betray anyone who had confided their thoughts or worries in her.”
Catherine’s people originally came from Partry in Mayo and she is related to Monsignor James Horan - the man who made the impossible dream possible by building an airport in Knock.
She met the love of her life Thomas in Islandeady and moved to Leicester for “a better life”.
While there, she set up a successful bed and breakfast while her husband worked as an officer in a bus company.
They moved back to Galway where they settled into lovely retirement life.
Catherine has been living without Thomas for forty years now and says she “misses him and the life we had every day”.
She also sadly outlived one of her three of her children.
But Catherine has treated each day since their passings as a “blessing” and a reminder that life for some can be short but long if lucky for others like herself.
Catherine has lived through all of life’s changing technologies but says the ever-changing world is becoming over the top.
She said: “I think everybody seems to have too much, and the same goes for children. They end up with far too many toys and presents and everything.
“We never had anything like that. If you got something small, you would be happy. Maybe we would get an apple or an orange or something in our stocking at Christmas.”
And Catherine’s mindset was the same when asked by her family what she wanted to celebrate her 103rd birthday.
Eamon said: “We went on a recent trip to Mulranny near Westport and had food in Nevin’s Newfield Inn. We’ll celebrate the actual day with food in Luker’s in Shannonbridge.
“I also got her a massage, the lady came to the house which was great. She got scratch cards and plants and flowers for her garden as well.
“But above anything, she loves short videos from family and friends wishing her well.”
Asked about being a Mayo exile living in Galway, Catherine says she will be equally supporting Galway as much as Mayo over the next two weekends but from the comforts of her home - maybe a lesson we should all take ahead of the next few weeks, love thy neighbour.