Longevity in the Kilkenny DNA - Two Mooncoin sisters hit milestone 100th birthday

They say longevity runs in families. Who would expect the Rose of Mooncoin to ring out across the globe from Ireland to Australia for the centenary birthday celebrations of siblings, Josie Sweeney (née Murphy) born in August 1922 and Mary Allen (née Murphy) born in January 1924?

Josie and Mary were born in Nicholastown, Mooncoin, daughters of the late John Murphy and Winifred Fenelon who were natives of Ballymurphy, Co. Carlow.

Their brothers, John and Peter Murphy died in the past few years at the ages of 90 and 94 respectively.
Josie celebrated her 100th birthday in Ballybrophy, Co. Laois in August 2022 but sadly passed away in December 2022, aged 100 years and 115 days.

Josie Sweeney (née Murphy) who celebrated her 100th birthday in 2002

On January 19 this year, Mary celebrated her 100th birthday in Melbourne, Australia.
Mary emigrated to Australia in 1950 along with her brother Ted, who is now in his 98th year. She married an Australian, Ken Allen, and went on to have two daughters, Leonie and Susan.

Whilst somewhat slowing with the years but remaining an independent woman, Mary lives alone doing her own cooking and cleaning and still thinks of herself as being only about 60 years old. Although going to bed early, she’s an early riser and never catnaps during the day.
She reads the daily newspaper and listens to news programmes on television.

In the past, Mary frequently returned to Ireland to visit her relatives in Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois.
Mary recalls her young life in Ireland and schooldays in Clogga National School with remarkable clarity. She was recently particularly taken with a photograph on the Mooncoin website dated 1934 of the Girls’ National School in Clogga in which both herself and Josie feature and remembers many of the children and the teacher in the photograph.

During her birthday celebrations in Melbourne, which some of her Irish relatives attended, the Rose of Mooncoin was sung, which brought a tear or two to Mary’s eyes.
However, Mary was cheered to get a congratulatory letter from President Michael D. Higgins on reaching that magical number of 100 years.
The Murphys’ story certainly goes a long way in proving that longevity is in the DNA.