SISTER Patricia O’Neill certainly has the Almighty on her side, having celebrated her 107th birthday recently, making her officially the oldest person in Limerick.
A resident of McAuley House nursing home in Limerick City, Sr Patricia is “very happy and content,” Stephanie McMahon, Director of Nursing, told the Limerick Post.
Sr Patricia was born in Bracknagh, Rathangan, County Kildare, the second eldest of four children, two boys and two girls. She is the only surviving sibling today.
Both Patricia and her sister, whom she was very close to, became religious sisters. Her sister was a member of the Poor Clares religious order in Carlow.
Patricia entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1951 and has spent all of those years in the order. Having also trained as a nurse, Sr Patricia worked professionally as a staff nurse and gave many years of voluntary work within the health service.
She became a resident of Catherine McAuley House Nursing home in 2009.
“Sr Patricia always had a great attitude towards life. She was noted for having a great sense of humour, she enjoyed her life, and loved to travel around Ireland,” Stephanie explained.
“She’s a wonderfully creative individual and gifted in arts and crafts. She would use her talents to raise funds for the missions and to help the poor.”
And she is not the only creative resident of the home. 14 ladies under the care of the Sisters of Mercy-owned facility keep busy knitting beautiful blankets to send to centres in Africa where the order works.
“They are absolutely amazing. Their work is so beautiful and they take such great pride in it. They’re an incredible bunch of ladies,” Stephanie told the Limerick Post.
Sr Patricia’s 107th birthday was celebrated in the nursing home where she was presented with her sixth special commemorative coin from the President Michael D Higgins.
Later that afternoon, Sr Patricia enjoyed a celebratory meal and a party with close relatives, including her two grand nieces, who played traditional Irish music for her and the other residents.
She was presented with a bouquet of flowers by local leader Sr Threse Barry from her late sister’s religious order the Poor Clares.
