105 year old belies her years to enjoy her birthday

Date Published: {J}

By Ken Kelly

Ballinasloe woman, May Coughlan, celebrated her 105th birthday on Tuesday last in her family home at Kilclooney, Ballinasloe.

Born on December 20 1906, in Culliagh, three miles from Ballinasloe, May was the eldest of eight children and lost her mother when she was only eleven years old.

With her late father she helped to raise her siblings and recalled the days walking in her bare feet the two miles to Clonfad school. “We took off the boots once we heard the cuckoo” she remarked as she celebrated her historic birthday in the company of her family.

May Coughlan (nee Murray) spoke of her up-bringing during the 1918 flu epidemic which saw so many young men die. She recounted the sleepless nights the family had as the Black and Tans roamed the area and of the gentry in Corheen Castle where the Potts were landlords.

She said there was huge emigration with families abandoning farms and taking the boat to the New World.

In 1939 May married Bill Coughlan, who was a psychiatric nurse in St, Brigid’s Hospital, in Moore Church and in 1950 they bought a farm in Kilclooney on the opposite side of Ballinasloe town. There she loved to rear fowl such as turkeys, chickens and ducks.

Each Saturday she made her way to Mannion’s Egg Store in the town to sell her scores of free range eggs and then buy the weekly groceries. “Times were tough then but we had great neighbours. Everyone helped one another with the farm work and the bog,” she said.

Completely belying her age, May laughed heartedly as she recalled the many changes in faces and places over the last century. As she fingered her Rosary beside the range in her home of more than sixty years, May could not explain her longevity but thanked the Good Lord for it.

“I suppose I was lucky to have such a close family and good neighbours. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the past century and I think people are better off today. Please God I’ll be around for another while” chuckled the remarkably alert woman.

She was delighted to receive her fourth Presidential medal-this time from a Galway man-President Michael D. Higgins. Throughout the day there were streams of well-wishers with cards, bouquets and presents to honour a lady that has been so popular in the community for such an extraordinary period of time,

May Coughlan has three children, Brendan (Galway), Bernadette (Dublin) and John (Ballinasloe) as well as six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. She has also numerous nephews, nieces, relatives and friends, all of whom as so proud of their 105-year-old inspirational and unique lovable heroine.