Mayo native passes away in her 107th year

There was great sadness in Achill over the weekend when word reached the parish of the death in the USA of Annie Murphy, who was in her 107th year.

Annie Murphy, who was born in Pollagh in Achill in 1918, passed away on Friday, May 30 surrounded by her family in Berea, Ohio, USA.

The great-great-grandmother had celebrated her 106th birthday on December 3 last and the magnificent milestone was marked with great joy when she was introduced for the first time to her newly born great-great grandchild Casey James.

Annie was born on December 3, 1918 in Pollagh in Achill, the home village of her mother, Catherine Lavelle who at the time lived in Scotland with her husband John McGowan. Catherine had been visiting her native island in 1918 when the Spanish Flu pandemic struck and she could not return to Scotland and as a result Annie was born in Achill.

Annie was raised in Kings Cavill, Scotland and qualified as a nurse before she later emigrated to the US and lived in Cleveland where she reared her family with her late husband, Martin Murphy.

Up until her death, she lived in the city of Berea, a suburb of Cleveland with her daughter Margaret but Achill was never far from her mind. The family have a home in Polranny and Annie and members of her family have been frequent visitors to the parish and are in regular contact with her many relatives.

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Having survived the Spanish Flu as a child, Annie also lived through the Covid pandemic unscathed and made her most recent trip to Achill in the summer of 2023 with members of her family.

Annie is predeceased by her husband Martin and children, Catherine, Martin, and John, and is survived by her daughter, Margaret, Sheila and Thomas and eight grandchildren, 23 great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Her funeral Mass will take place on Friday, June 6 at St Mary Church, Bera with interment at Holy Cross Cemetery.