There were great celebrations in Clady last week when one of the area’s best known residents celebrated her 100^th birthday.

By Ciaran O’Neill

editor@derrypost.com

Lizzie Marron is now officially the first person ever in the Greenlough parish to live to celebrate their 100^th birthday.

Family and friends gathered at the home Lizzie shares with her husband and son, Manus senior and junior, last Tuesday to mark the special occasion.

Among the visitors was Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.

Lizzie also received telegrams from the Queen and Irish President Mary McAleese.

Lizzie was born in the townland of Newtown on May 20, 1908, into a family of 13.

Many of her siblings left Ireland for countries such as America and Australia, but Lizzie remained at home.

She worked as a ward nurse at a hospital which amazingly involved a round-trip each of 26 miles – which she completed on foot!

Lizzie married Manus, who was from the neighbouring townland of Moneystaghan, on April 16, 1952, and the couple settled in Clady, where they have lived ever since.

Their family still joke with Manus that he was something of a toy boy, as he was 20 when he got married, while Lizzie was 40.

The had two children, Manus, who is a full-time carer for his parents, and Eileen, whose married name is O’Boyle and who lives in Rasharkin.

Manus junior said there had been great excitement at his mother’s birthday.

“She is a very humble person and kept telling me that she didn’t want a party,” he said.

“So we didn’t organise anything too big but there was a constant stream of people coming to the house and she really enjoyed seeing everyone.

“It’s a great honour for my mother and our family that she is the first person from the Greenlough parish to celebrate her 100^th birthday and it was a very special day.”

Although health has limited Lizzie in recent years, among her great loves were cooking and gardening, and she won several competitions in Clady over the years for having the best garden.