95-year-old Kerry nun determined not to let hospital visit stop her marking milestone moment

Rose, back on April 30, celebrated 75 years since she was ‘professed’ as a nun and to celebrate this incredible achievement, her friends, family and former work colleagues decided to put on a little spread for her.

Rose is now a resident in the Fatima Nursing Home in Tralee, a place where she herself worked for many years, and she unfortunately suffered a fall back in April that has left her confined to a wheelchair but, as her niece Breege Forde told The Kerryman this week, this was in no way going to stop her aunt.

"She is waiting for a scan from the hospital but she said that she wouldn't go until she had her celebrations. She was determined to have it, she was letting no-one take it away from her. She was not going to be sitting in hospital for it, that was basically her words," Breege laughed.

"She wanted people there and she was delighted with how it went. In fairness to her, she really was thrilled that it happened because she was a little afraid that it wouldn't just because of her injury," said Breege who added that it was an “unreal” milestone that Rose had reached.

Going on, Breege said that being confined to a wheelchair has not been easy for Rose who she described as a “very independent lady all her life” and who was used to, even into her 90's, “literally running around the place.”

It’s a testament to the high regard in which Rose is still held by all who know her that former work colleagues travelled from far and wide to mark the 75 year celebration with her, where Rose was presented with a beautiful gift of an inscribed Waterford Crystal vase.

"The presentation was beautiful and the staff were amazing. There was food, music and the nuns were involved as well, it was just lovely and a very special day. A lot of people in the photo are previous staff that she worked with and they all made the effort to come back to see her. She was so thrilled,” said Breege.

"There's a nun who's still there who does work in the home even she's now 85, Sr Theresa McAvoy, and she organised an awful lot of the event for Rose. She was amazing and has been so kind to her,” Breege added.

Finally, as Breege agreed with, we can all only hope that we have the same joie de vivre as Rose when we reach 95 years old.

"She worked there for years and even up until five years ago, she'd have been in there visiting all the elderly people in the home, not realising she was also elderly!" Breege said with a laugh.