A well-known Laois woman has recently reached one of the rarest milestones possible when she celebrated her 100th birthday.
Maureen Dowling moved to San Francisco in America in 1948 where the centenarian built a wonderful life for herself.
Originally a Delaney, Maureen was born in 1925 and grew up on a farm in Camross before moving to England where she worked as a nurse during World War II.
Her late husband, Patrick Dowling, who had been living in San Francisco for many years, returned to Ireland on holiday in 1948 where the couple met at a dance party in Patrick’s home.
They were married a just a short couple of months later and soon set sail on a week-long journey to the United States, arriving in New York before travelling across America on the Zephyr train to San Francisco.
There the couple raised six children, with Maureen now a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and even a great-great-grandmother.
The Dowling family is heavily involved with the United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco, with Patrick acting as the Grand Marshal in San Francisco’s 1992 St Patrick’s Day Parade.
In 2022, Maureen took part in LaoisToday’s Laois Abroad series, where she spoke about the “tremendous joy in the simplicity of the Irish lifestyle”, saying “there was something magical about leisurely sitting at the fireside, telling stories and listening to music.”
Fr Martin Delaney said a special mass for Maureen in June at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, Rathdowney, reciting a poem that had written especially for the Camross native from which the following excerpt is taken:
From Camross lanes with where blackbirds sing
to far off lands where church bells ring,
A gentle girl with fire and flare
set out to see what life held there.
She packed her hopes her Irish grace
and left behind her homestead place.
A nurse in war with heart so wide
she met each fear with Irish pride.
Then fate with its mysterious hand
led her to a wedding band.
She met Pat Dowling – what a night,
a kiss, a sail, a brand new flight
across the sea to Frisco Bay
where fog and faith still greet each day.
Six children came and soon the sound
of fiddles tails and boots that pound.
The video for the mass is available here.
The mass was attended by members of both the Delaney and Dowling families, who sang Happy Birthday to Maureen at the end of the service.
Speaking to LaoisToday, Maureen’s daughter Patty explained how the legendary singer Daniel O’Donnell also passed on birthday wishes.
She said: “At the end of the mass, the family stood up and sang Happy Birthday to my mother in the church. It was such a wonderful tribute.
“Daniel O’Donnell also left a video message for my mom. What a kind person he is to take time out of his busy schedule.
“My mom received her favorite thing, lots of mass cards from Ireland and San Francisco.”
Happy birthday Maureen!
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