Death of Ireland's second oldest person

Tributes were paid this week to Athlone woman Kathleen Murray, who died on Friday last 108 years and 13 days after she was born. According to the office of the President, she was the second oldest person in Ireland. The funeral Mass for the Crannagh, Summerhill, native was celebrated by Fr Ray Milton at St Brigid's Church in Drum on Monday. Kathleen had been a resident of the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon for the last twelve years, and a spokesperson for the HSE paid tribute to her longevity. “Connaught's oldest citizen passed away peacefully last Friday, not long after celebrating her 108th birthday,†said the spokesperson. “Kathleen's gregarious nature won her many friends over the years. Her extended family and the staff at the Sacred Heart Hospital are left with many fond memories of her. Though frail, Kathleen remained steadfastly assertive, honest and generous until her passing and she was an inspiration to us all.†Earlier this month, her 108th birthday was commemorated with a small gathering of relatives and some music. Kathleen never married and, remarkably, she smoked 20 cigarettes a day until she moved from her home in Summerhill to the Sacred Heart Hospital in December 1998. Hailing from a farming background, she grew up in a farming family and trained as a cook. She went on to work as a cook at McNeill's undertakers in Athlone and, poignantly, it was McNeill's which organised her funeral arrangements. Kathleen also worked at Naylor's chemist in Athlone and later become a priest's housekeeper - a position she held for many years until her retirement over 40 years ago. A lover of the outdoors, she enjoyed gardening and long walks in the countryside. She belonged to a very musical family that loved to sing and dance. Kathleen had four sisters and one brother, all now deceased. Her brother, Michael, worked in Summerhill Convent until he was 90 years of age. Following the funeral Mass on Monday, her burial took place in Drum cemetery. May she rest in peace.