Mary has received a lifetime achievement award for her charity work
Local Faces: Mary Kelly
There are certain things in life that your humble correspondent would never do. Lion taming and train surfing are definitely out, so don’t ask me, writes Ken Doyle.
At the top of that list though, by a country mile, I would never, ever jump out of an aeroplane. The very thought of it gives me a horrendous case of the vapours. To think people do it for fun! I’d need some serious therapy if I survived it.
However, our Faces of the Community star this week at the tender age of 77 did it, voluntarily, to raise money for worthy causes. That’s just one example of the sort of lady that Fettercairn’s Mary Kelly is. Fearless and selfless.
Having put in over four decades of voluntary work in her community, we at The Echo decided it was about time we celebrated her life and work in these pages.
“I admit that as far as the parachute jump goes, I’ve never been so terrified in my life,” she says. “It had been postponed because of the weather three times which only made my nerves worse. Then, finally, going up in the plane, my stomach was doing somersaults.”
“Next thing I knew, me and the fella I was attached to were in mid air, hurtling towards the ground. Luckily the parachute opened and we made a perfect landing.”
Quite apart from Mary’s safety, there was a lot riding on the jump’s success.
“Well I raised over six thousand euros to do it, so it was very important that I went through with it. I gave four thousand to St Anne’s school in Fettercairn and the rest to Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross. Two places very close to my heart.”
She laughs as she tells me, “when I landed I just threw my hands in the air and said ‘I did it!’ it was such a buzz.”
The eldest of seven children born to Patrick and Bridget McGirl, Mary grew up on Clogher Road in Crumlin and recalls many happy times there as well as regular holidays in Drumshanbo Co. Leitrim, her parents’ hometown.
ADRENALIN: Mary did a parachute jump and raised over €6,000 for two charities close to her heart
Mary was living in Crumlin when she met the man who would sweep her off her feet, her husband John. “We’ve been married for fifty-five years now and had six children so we must’ve done something right,” she laughs.
Mary had ambitions to be a dress designer but as is so often the case, life had other plans for her. As a young couple, Mary and John had two children already and needed a house.
“We moved to Fettercairn forty four years ago and when we got here we were really in the wilderness. There was nothing but fields! Still it’s the best move I ever made, I love my neighbours and my community.”
It wasn’t long before Mary got stuck in and started volunteering with St Anne’s school and Fettercairn Church, positions she still holds today.
“I run a breakfast club in the school as well as volunteering from 2.30pm every day with other things I can help with. I absolutely love the kids and the staff and every day is a pleasure.”
Mary adds a note of sadness to her work when she tells me, “unfortunately there is poverty in Fettercairn as much as we like to think we’re all doing fine.
A lot of people struggle with various things and that’s something that I look out for. I do it discreetly of course but if I see someone in need, I try to help them out.”
Appearing in these prestigious pages is not Mary’s only brush with greatness by the way. On top of her work in the school, she is also a sacristan at Fettercairn Church of the Incarnation and turns out to do her duties at communions, confirmations, weddings and funerals.
Mary received a medal from the late Pope Francis for her service of over 40 years to the church
She’s also a member of the Parish Council and has received a medal from the late Pope Francis on the occasion of reaching 40 years in service to the church.
She’s also won numerous accolades for her charity work, including a lifetime achievement award from the Tallaght Person of the Year awards.
Mary Kelly truly is a wonder and Fettercairn is lucky to have such a dedicated person working so hard to make it a nicer place to live in.
I ask Mary if she has any thoughts on retirement. She chuckles, “well I was supposed to retire when I was 70, but I was enjoying it too much.
That was seven years ago and I’m still enjoying it just as much. I’m driving my poor husband John mad because he retired at Christmas and I’m so busy I’m never home!”
“I’ll take it as it comes and when the time is right, I’ll bow out gracefully. I’m just grateful to be able to do what I do at my age.”
“Every day is a blessing to me. I love my life and the people around me. I’m a lucky woman.”
