'Plain food' is Margaret's secret to a long life!

A gathering took place Athlone recently to mark a significant milestone in the life of local woman Margaret Molloy, who celebrated her 100th birthday.

The Clonmore, Castledaly, resident has witnessed huge changes over the course of her lifetime, and she remains an active woman who still cooks and bakes brown bread and apple tarts!

Fifty people attended the party which was held in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel on Sunday, July 19, the day after she turned 100. The mother of Sean, Packie, Ann, Myra and Eileen, Margaret has 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

She was born Margaret O'Shea near Clonmacnoise, in Ballyduff, Ballinahown, on July 18, 1920. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, her son Packie explained that she came from a farming background and had four brothers and one sister.

"Her father, Patrick, died when she was 13 years of age. The youngest in the family was about six years of age at the time, and they all had to help out on the farm after the father died," explained Packie.

Margaret attended Bloomhill national school, about two miles from her home. As she looks back on her life, she reflects on how quickly the years have passed.

"She says, 'it went so quick'. She can remember back in the 1920s, going to school in Bloomhill," said Packie.

"At that time, they went to school in their bare feet. When May 1 would come, the shoes would be thrown off, and they all went in their bare feet."

In 1943, Margaret married Matt Molloy at St Colmcille's Church, Ballinahown, and moved to a farm at Clonmore, Castledaly, where she still resides today with her son, Sean.

When asked for the secret behind his mother's long life, Packie replied: "Her secret is plain food! She used to buy only plain sugar, and the rest was produced on the farm.

"It was all real food - with no preservatives or anything. They used to have their own meat and everything at that time, and they would kill a pig at Christmas time.

"That's the way they used to live. There were no big shopping days, no supermarkets or anything like that."

He said that Margaret could still recall her own parents telling her about their life and their stories around events such as the arrival of the Black and Tans in Ireland.

As she looks back at her youth she talks about the changes in transport and how people now have a lot more money than they did when she was young.

"Back in those days, to go to town, you went in the pony and trap. There were no cars, and you were lucky if you had a bicycle," said Packie.

He said the recent birthday celebration had been a very enjoyable occasion for the family and that social distancing been maintained during the event, in line with the current health guidelines.