Kitty Jeffrey (née Clancy), believed to be the oldest woman in the country, has passed away on her 109th birthday.
Kitty Jeffrey died surrounded by her family at Cork University Hospital.
Last November she held a 109th birthday party at her home in Knocksatukeen, near Middleton, Co. Cork. She celebrated the day with her children, her friends and 15 cousins.
Ms Jeffrey was born in Grenville, Co. Cork on 12 November 1914, three months after the outbreak of the First World War.
The centenarian attended the National School in Grenville. She left school and took her secretarial course and worked at Jackson’s, a gown shop in the Queen’s Castle. She worked at the store until her marriage to farmer George Jeffrey.
Daughter Anne said her parents met at a dance in Garryvaux, east Cork, and were married at St John’s Church. The two went to Dublin for their honeymoon.
“My father was a farmer at home. He was in Boston, went home to recuperate after appendix surgery, and never came back.”
The couple had four children: Anne, George, Norman and Ivor.
Jeffrey started driving at age 50. Until then, she would cycle to Cloyne for meetings of the Irish Women’s Association. She made butter and sold it and her eggs to a grocery store in Middleton. Once we got her car, she drove to the country market with her homemade jams and chutneys.
Anne said her mother was the financial manager for the family farm.
“She would ask her father for prices and tell her if she didn’t ask for enough. When we sold the barley, her mother wasn’t happy with the price, so she sent samples to Murphy’s Brewery in Cork. I brought it in and signed a contract. Women didn’t do that in those days.”
Jeffrey became a widow in 1986. Her faith sustained her in the years following her bereavement. She originally came from a Church of Ireland family, and when she married her husband George, the couple worshiped at Agada Presbyterian Church.
Two years ago, a special party was planned to commemorate Kitty’s 107th birthday. At the time, her son George said her mother lived during a special time in Ireland’s history.
“She remembers that during difficult times, some British soldiers rode into the garden looking for local volunteers, but when they were told there was no one here, they rode away again.” ” he said.
“She also recalled that a lot of big houses burned during the Civil War. They came to burn mansions, and the locals stood up and said, ‘No, they’re the good guys in Glenville. The people, they always take care of us.” So they left. They did not set the mansion on fire at that time. ”
- Apply push alert Get the best news, analysis and commentary delivered straight to your phone
- search Irish Times on WhatsApp Stay up to date
- The In The News podcast is published daily – find the latest episode here