Maureen recovers from Covid to celebrate her 100th birthday
By Hayden Moore
A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER is celebrating after receiving the Covid-19 vaccination and her 100th birthday in the space of a few days.
Reaching centenarian status did not come without its challenges however, with Maureen Sheridan contracting Covid-19 in May of last year.
Maureen Sheridan celebrating her 100th birthday
“After making it this far we didn’t think she would make it to the 100 because she got Covid in May,” Maureen’s daughter Noeleen, who lives in Tallaght, tells The Echo.
“It was a bit touch and go for a while there but she’s strong, she got through it.
“She’s getting the vaccine [on Monday]. It’s great news, I’m looking forward to seeing her more again because until the day of her birthday, we hadn’t seen her since last March.”
Maureen, who was born on January 17, 1921, was one of many residents in TLC Centre in Citywest to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Noeleen’s husband Martin – Maureen’s son-in-law – was able to visit Maureen infrequently throughout the pandemic and has praised the hard work of the staff in TLC.
“The staff really look after Maureen in there and especially when you consider the severe pressure they were under with this Covid, they were fantastic,” says Martin.
“She’s an immensely strong woman. She got the Covid and recovered from it and that’s a testament to her.
“Maureen is very healthy, no underlying health issues at all and she’s still that very strong Dublin woman, a real old motherly type.”
From Coolock, Maureen loves to dress in glamourous garb and prizes herself on getting her hair done every week, dancing to Sonny Knowles-era music and having the craic.
Maureen has two children, Noeleen and Patricia, who sadly passed-away at the age of 36, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Described as a “true Dub”, Maureen is the last surviving member of her family having outlived her three brothers and sister.
Her brothers Shay and Seán Gibbons where well accomplished in their respective fields, with the former scoring 108 goals in 115 games for St Patrick’s Athletic and representing Ireland while the latter played gaelic football for Dublin in the 1940s.
Throughout her life, Maureen worked with Smurfit Print and Dublin Airport as a cleaner before working as home help until she retired 30-years-ago.
Last Sunday, on her birthday, Maureen was presented with a congratulatory letter from President Michael D Higgins alongside her Centenarian Bounty cheque for €2,540.
Noeleen, who has underlying conditions, could not see her mother for the best part of a year – that was until last Sunday, when Maureen hit the big 100.
TLC Centre have set up visitation booths that allow family members to visit, with a screen separating them from the person they are visiting.
“We could only visit Maureen in this booth,” Martin details.
“So we visited her and where able to sing Happy Birthday to her, then the staff held a party for her amongst themselves after we left.
Noeleen added: “She just kept on saying ‘I’m not 100’. She always did that, would always be saying she’s younger than she is.
“She was in great form, even reading her card without her glasses on and everything.”
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