Michael Commins
A 101-year-old Mayo woman received a summons to do jury service in Castlebar. Brigid Kirrane from Kilvine, Irishtown, who celebrated her birthday on St Valentine’s Day, was called for service some weeks ago when a letter from the Registrar’s office in Castlebar arrived at the family home in Kilvine.
Her daughter, Mary Feerick, admitted they were both surprised and amused when they opened the letter to find that Brigid had been summoned to do jury service for the first time in her life. “My mother has been in the Meadowlands Nursing Home in Cloonfad for the past two years. We brought the letter down to the home and all who saw it thought it was very funny. When Fr Martin O’Connor [PP in Ballindine and Irishtown] visited our house, I told him she had been called for jury service and showed him the letter. We all had a good laugh.”
“I rang the Courthouse in Castlebar to explain that my mother was 101 and the person I spoke to asked me could I get her to write in a letter saying she was unable to attend. She is not able to do such things anymore so I wrote a letter myself outlining the circumstances.”
The letter from Castlebar, marked Jury Summons Number 232, stated that ‘Brigid Kirrane, Kilvine, is hereby summonsed to attend as a juror at the Courthouse, Castlebar (on the date and time in question) at the sitting of the Circuit Criminal Court and thereafter from day to day at the times directed by the court’.
