Ruadhán Jones
Anna Mae on her
hundredth birthday. Despite a hard life in which she lost two husbands and three children, 100-year-old Anna-Mae Treacy carries on enjoying life with faith and trust in God.
Sharp as a whistle
Anna-Mae turned 100 on December 7 and is still “sharp as a whistle” according to her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren!
Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Anna-Mae said she enjoyed her small, socially-distanced birthday, which included a virtual Mass in her honour.
“I did enjoy it and I want to thank my family for organising such a lovely day,” she said. “My friend Fr Patrick Tobin celebrated Mass for me and I watched it on the computer with my children.”
Faith is very important to Anna-Mae, who up until lockdown was a regular Mass-goer and continues to say her rosary every night.
“It’s very important, very important,” she said. “At the end of the day, the only person we have to meet is God. My faith has kept me strong through all the ups and downs of life.”
Her faith helped her through the difficult period of the lockdown as well, she said: “I couldn’t have got through the hard times without my faith and trust in God.”
Before lockdown, she attended the community Day Care centre three days a week, independently went to the hairdresser each Saturday, and followed up Sunday Mass with evenings spent at the country dances with her friends – every week without fail.
Advice
She offered a small piece of advice to the people of Ireland as they go through the pandemic: “Work hard, eat healthily, face up to life’s challenges and stay safe.”
Though a hundred years have passed, Anna-Mae still hopes that she can continue “to live out every day in good health and contentment and to enjoy every day God sends”.