Athlone couple celebrate 70th wedding anniversary

Athlone couple Paddy and Julia Conway will next week celebrate 70 years of wedded bliss, an accomplishment that is sure to set a record locally! The popular couple from St Kieran's Terrace will celebrate their platinum anniversary on Monday next, October 31. Paddy (93) is a native of Mayor and Julia (89) is a native of Oughterard, Co. Galway. The couple met when they were both working in Galway, Paddy in Renmore Barracks and Julia as a child minder. They married six months after they met and at the end of the Emergency Paddy left the army. After moving to Athlone they eventually settled in St Kieran's Terrace where they raised their ten children - Dominic, Marie, Michael, Frances, Manus, John, Teresa, Paddy, Joan and Tommy. As he had trained as a plumber in his younger years, Paddy set up as a plumber in Athlone and worked on houses in the Batteries and Ascius Villas as well as carrying out jobs in local hotels - the Shamrock Lodge, the Prince of Wales, the Royal Hoey, and the Hodson Bay. He was an early member of the Athlone Anglers Association in the 1950s and Julia, too, had a great love of fishing, becoming the only female member of the Athlone Anglers Association for many years. She was also the first woman on the committee of the Anglers Association. One time she caught a 27.5 lb pike and also caught hundreds of other smaller pikes over the decades. The family often spent their holidays camping on the islands of Lough Ree. The last time that Julia and Paddy took part in the competition, some years ago, their son Dominic caught a 32.5 lb pike. All of their sons and many of their grandchildren, and great-children have taken up fishing after developing a lover for it from listening to them. This week their children Dominic, Paddy, John, Tommy, Manus, Michael, Marie, Frances, Teresa and Joan, their families, grandchildren and great-grandchildren congratulate Paddy and Julia on reaching this milestone and wish the couple the very best.