Abbey Heritage (who joined us in Matera) had the privilege recently of listening to some great stories from Vincent Conroy, a 100-year-old man who celebrated his special birthday on 6th March 2022.
It is always a great occasion when one reaches this magical age but to arrive at this point with the clarity of expression and the vividness of memory that Vincent displayed was a privilege to witness.
Vincent joined Abbey Heritage for their recent Storytelling and Recording session (with Storytracks) in the village one week after celebrating his 100th birthday and regaled and fascinated all in attendance with a diverse range of stories for almost an hour.
Vincent has a clear memory of his time growing up in Abbey and attending the local National School and he was generous in his praise of his teachers Mr and Mrs Power “who often fed them when they had very little to eat”.
Abbey Heritage will share some of his many stories on their website at a later date and the stories recorded by Storytracks will be published later this summer in an audio tour format.
Not alone is Vincent a most interesting storyteller but he also has a terrific singing voice for a man of 100! We are delighted to share this treat with you and hope you will enjoy his rendering of “Here’s a Toast to You Claddagh”.
More to come!
Original post by Frances Holohan, source: A Wonderful 100-Year-Old Man – Abbey and District Heritage (galwaycommunityheritage.org)
Abbey Heritage was a focus of one of the tracks of the EU Stories Hackathon in Matera
