‘Theresa has had plenty of old friends and neighbours calling down to the house in Ballincollig to give her cards and flowers. I’d like to personally thank all of those people for their kindness.’
Theresa Lucey
It was a day full of joy and celebration in Ballincollig as local woman Theresa Lucey marked her 100th birthday with many old friends, neighbours and family members calling to wish her well. The Lucey family is among the first to receive the state’s centenarian bounty under newly sworn-in President Catherine Connolly.
Theresa was born in Two Pot, Waterfall on November 19, 1925, and she moved to her home in The Crescent, Ballincollig in 1962. It was there she raised her six children alongside her husband, Dan, after the pair met at a community dance out near the church in Ballinora.
Theresa is a grandmother to 18 and a great-grandmother to another 30, so there have been plenty of friendly faces popping in to her home in Ballincollig to wish her well today. CorkBeo spoke with her son, John, who said the secrets to his mother’s long life lay in staying active and avoiding alcohol and tobacco – with a healthy number of bingo nights thrown in for good measure.
In her younger years, Theresa was an avid camogie player and road bowler. She is the sister of legendary Cork road bowler Mick Barry, who is best known for his famous throw over the viaduct on the Bandon Road and was named Supreme Bowler of the Millennium by Ból-Chumann na hÉireann in 1999. Theresa would accompany Mick to competitions where she served as his doubles partner for many games.
In her later years, Theresa remained active by going out on frequent walks, and she would head out to play bingo up to five nights a week to keep her mind sharp. In her spare time, she is an avid knitter, and during the lockdown, she and a friend sold scarves and blankets, donating the proceeds to Marymount Hospice.
This week, Theresa received Ireland’s centenarian bounty, which includes a special letter signed by the president and a cheque for €2,460. When the letter was presented to her, she quipped: “The time is flying.”
Her son John told CorkBeo: “My mother was always fit and did a lot of walking, she played road bowling and camogie when she was younger, and she never drank or smoked a day in her life. She would often go out walking with her sister Rita and their little terriers down the Powdermills, which later became the Regional Park.
“We were delighted to receive the letter and the cheque from President Connolly. We may well be the first, but I suppose we’ll never know that for sure. When I brought it in to her, she said: ‘The time is flying,’ that’s the sort of mentality she has.
“She was also a very avid bingo player, and she used to go play five nights a week with her sister Rita. Then, in her later years, she’d do the telly bingo; she’s always been very sharp-minded in that respect.
“My mother isn’t walking as much nowadays, but I’ve said to her that once summer comes, we’ll be getting her out of bed and out walking again. One thing she used to love was getting her hair done in the village by Catherine Fitton, who has been very good to her over the last twelve months, coming to the house to do her hair.
“Today, she’s received greetings from all over the country, from America and Australia – and she’d had plenty of old friends and neighbours calling down to the house in Ballincollig to give her cards and flowers. I’d like to personally thank all of those people for their kindness. She blew out the candle on her birthday cake earlier today, so she’s keeping well.”
This follows the celebrations for another Cork centaurian last month. A big party was held at the Kinsale Community Hospital to celebrate Violet Dorney’s 100th birthday.
The big birthday bash was organised by the local Altrusa group, treating Violet to a day filled with live music, laughs, and good food, surrounded by staff and loved ones. Cork County Mayor Cllr. Mary Linehan Foley also stopped by to give her best wishes and pass on the centenarian bounty.
