Friday, February 14, 2025

At 100 – Michael Cummins is learning a new song in Irish!

Popular Mullingar man Michael Cummins celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday afternoon last, 7 March, and those attending the centenarian’s special birthday party not only heard him sing and recite verses he learned in Scoil Mhuire, St. Mary’s CBS, Mullingar perhaps 90 years ago, but they also heard that he is learning the words of a new song, through Irish.
Members of Michael’s extended family, together with Mullingar friends and former neighbours gathered in the Newbrook Nursing Home, Mullingar with management and staff on Saturday afternoon for the celebration and to applaud the popular Mullingar man and his remarkable contribution as a member of the Mullingar community for the last 100 years, spanning two different centuries and 11 different decades.
Michael Cummins was born on Sunday, 7 March, 1915, almost a year and two months before the 1916 Easter Rising, which has its centenary celebration next year.
During last Saturday afternoon’s celebrations, Michael Cummins was presented with a cheque for €2,540 from the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins.
An accountant in Mullingar for decades, there were smiles and affectionate comment as the Mullingar centenarian examined the cheque and then carefully put the President’s gift into the inside pocket of his jacket, pushing it down for safe and secure keeping.
STILL LEARNING!
Earlier, the Mullingar centenarian raised an arm in delight to acknowledge the applause after he had blown out the candles on one of two birthday cakes marking his 100th birthday.
Michael, who was a noted singer over the years and also noted for the quality of his memory and his repertoire of songs, recitations and verse, and it was inevitable that he would be asked to sing some of his favourite songs at Saturday’s celebration.
One of the songs he was asked to sing was ‘Me and my girl’, upon which he proclaimed with a wry smile: “I do like that song – and I’d like her, too!”.
During the sing song, members of Michael’s extended family, his nephews and nieces, niece-in-law, and grand-nieces, also provided music and vocal contributions.
Those present were told by one of Michael’s nephews that Michael had heard his nephew singing a traditional song in Irish and had asked that the nephew would write out the words in Irish so that the Mullingar centenarian could learn them off.
“I won’t sing that song today!”, 100 years old Michael interjected.
VERY ACTIVE
Michael Cummins was born in Mullingar and lived at Bishopsgate Street until he became a resident at the Newbrook Nursing Home in recent years. He was still driving his iconic Hillman Minx car up to his nineties, and looked after it with great care.
For many decades he worked as an accountant with Oliver Buckley and James Wallace Ltd., Dominick Street and The Green, Mullingar, having worked in earlier decades with the firm of Gibson & Fletcher, accountants, Mullingar.
Among the organisations he was actively involved with over the years on a voluntary basis were Mullingar Credit Union Ltd., St. Mary’s College Past Pupils Union, the Legion of Mary, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He was also retired financial secretary at Mullingar Cathedral, and served as a steward and collector at the Cathedral for many years. Michael’s skills in accountancy work and with financial matters was much appreciated by all those he assisted.
MULLINGAR NATIVE
Michael is a son of Michael and Mary Cummins, Bishopsgate Street, Mullingar, who at one time had a hardware shop in Dominick Street, Mullingar – close to the junction with Mary Street near where the roundabout is now – in what is now the Wardrobe boutique premises.
Before her marriage in 1911, his mother was Mary Kearney, Auburn Terrace, Mullingar, whose father was originally from Kilbeggan.
Michael and Mary had three sons and two daughters – Maura, James, Michael, Francie and Noreen – and the three sons never left Mullingar, living at Bishopsgate Street.
Maura became an Ursuline nun in Sligo and Noreen, the youngest was the only one of the siblings to marry.
Noreen married Phonsie Mac a’ Bháird in Mullingar in 1947, and it was their children and grandchildren – centenarian Michael Cummins’ nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces – who gathered as his extended family last Saturday, with his Mullingar friends and former neighbours.
Michael’s nephews and nieces at Saturday’s celebration were Fionnuala and twins Máire and Conall, all three born in Mullingar; Domhall, Finín, Colm and Nóirín. Their sister, Úna, another niece of Michael’s, died at the age of 19 years in a traffic accident in France.
100 YEARS
To put things in context, Michael Cummins, was born on Sunday, 7 March, 1915, while the 1914-1918 war raged, and he was nearly fourteen months old when the Easter Rising began on Easter Monday, 24 April, 1916.
Like other centenarians, he is older than the Republic of Ireland itself and has lived through the Irish War of Independence, the Civil War, two World Wars, the Cold War, and all the other major conflicts of the past century.
In addition, so far Michael has lived during the terms of office of all nine Presidents of Ireland, from Dr. Douglas Hyde to Michael D. Higgins, and of all 12 Taoisigh, as well as all 31 Dáil Éireann elections and all 29 Governments of Ireland.
During the last 100 years Michael has lived during the reigns of four British kings and queens, from King George V to Queen Elizabeth II. And during the reigns of nine Popes, from Pope Benedict XV to Pope Francis I.

read_more
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Woohoo! Your subscription has been successful!

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up to date with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.

TOP STORIES

MORE STORIES