Meet the 100-year-old great-granny who Skypes

SARAH"S BIG CENTURY Sarah Deacy from Straide is 100 years of age today (Tuesday). She celebrated the huge milestone with a party with family and friends at The Welcome Inn, Castlebar on Saturday. She’s pictured with daughter Marian, grandson SeΡn Walsh and great-granddaughter Leah Gavin-Walsh at the party. ?Pic: Keith McGreal

Meet the 100-year-old great-granny who Skypes


Sarah Deacy from Straide turns 100 today

Edwin McGreal

Sarah Deacy from Straide likes to stay in contact with family all around the world. And, in 2014, there’s no better way to do that than to use Skype. The fact that she’s 100 years old doesn’t stop Sarah. Why would it?
Sarah turns 100 today but if she wants to talk to her granddaughter Claire in South Korea or her niece Maura in Australia, it’s via her daughter’s laptop and Skype.
The native of Killasser, Swinford celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday with a party with family and friends at The Welcome Inn Hotel in Castlebar and rounded it off with a rousing rendition of her party piece, ‘The Little Black Moustache’ later on that evening.
The party in Castlebar was on Sarah; she insisted on treating her family from the proceeds of the Centenarian Bounty she received from President Michael D Higgins and was right at the centre of the celebrations.
The incredible lady also received a letter from Michael D and Taoiseach Enda Kenny as well as a bouquet of flowers from Enda Kenny as well. And she had a ball on Saturday.
“She really enjoyed herself. There were a lot of people there she hadn’t seen in years,” her grandson SeΡn Walsh told The Mayo News. “She’s very sharp. Plenty of people on Saturday were saying she was sharper than a lot of us that were in the room. She has a great memory too,” he added.
Sarah reads two daily papers most days, The Irish Mirror and the Irish Independent as well as The Connaught Telegraph and The Mayo News most weeks, as well as reading plenty of books.
“Gran puts her long and healthy life down to working hard in her earlier years as a housewife and on the farm which kept her physically fit. In latter years she would credit contentment with her environment, reading books and newspapers,” says SeΡn.
Sarah enjoys watching TV at home with soaps her favourite along with shows like Winning Streak, The Late Late Show and the news and any nature programmes with David Attenborough.
Together with her daughter Marian she goes to either Knock House Hotel or the Mayfly in Foxford for Sunday dinner most Sundays. She was a special guest at the centenary celebrations of Killasser National School last year, as the oldest past pupil.
Sarah was born Sarah Duffy on January 28, 1914 in Killasser and married John Deacy from Straide in 1941. The couple had eight children, five girls and three boys. John died in 1984 and Sarah now lives with her daughter Marian in Straide. She has 16 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She told her daughter her next step will be to get an iPhone. The family aren’t sure if she’s joking either.