Clonmel Library presents fitting 100th birthday gift to Nationalist columnist Peg Rossiter

Caption for photo above: Peg Rossiter (seated centre) with the front page of The Nationalist she was presented with to mark her 100th birthday at last week’s Wednesday Discussion Group meeting in Clonmel Library. She is pictured with Executive Librarian Anne Marie Mullins (front left) and Wednesday Discussion Club members Bridie Mordaunt (seated right) and back: Clare Fogarty, Sheila Meaney, Yvonne Roche.

Clonmel Library’s Wednesday Discussion Group members took a break from their latest weekly chat about the affairs of the nation and society to honour founding member, Peg Rossiter, on reaching her 100th birthday.

A surprise presentation was made to The Nationalist’s popular columnist during the mid-morning chat with her friends in the Library last Wednesday, May 24.

Along with flowers, Clonmel Library Executive Librarian Anne Marie Mullins presented Peg with the most fitting of gifts - a framed front page of The Nationalist published on the date of her birth May 19, 1923.

Anne Marie said the gift was from everyone at Clonmel Library to congratulate Peg on her birthday.

She said it was a great pleasure to know Peg and referring to her involvement in the Wednesday Group, she cited one of her “amazing gifts” was the way she looked and listened to people when they spoke and never interrupted them.

“It shows so much respect for those around you and I always appreciate that,” added Anne-Marie, who was a neighbour of Peg’s growing up in Clonmel.

The Wednesday Discussion Group members gathered around the advert filled front page and examined it closely. They picked out long gone businesses they remembered and marvelled at the advert for Clintons Shop that is still a prominent Clonmel retailer a century on.

Before the presentation, Peg was holding court discussing with her friends topics as diverse as the asylum seekers controversy in county Clare to Peg’s childhood memories of Clonmel’s World War 1 and Spanish Flu widows, who worked so hard to raise their children.

“When I hear about the achievements of young women now, I think about these extraordinary women. They were terribly decent and hardworking women who would give you dinners and clean sheets when you were sick,” recalled Peg who that morning received the letter from President Michael D Higgins congratulating her on turning 100.

The former court stenographer is the only surviving founding member of the Wednesday Discussion Group. She said the club was formed 38 years ago at Clonmel Library and developed from of a series of talks about women’s health attended by about 30 women.

“We met in the front room of the Library and when the talks finished we found we would like to continue meeting and we became friends. We met every Wednesday and called ourselves the Wednesday Group.

“We decided that one of the things we didn’t do was gossip. We talked about things that interested us. We shared personal views; we stood by each other.”

She recalls that some of the original members were wives of Merck Sharp & Dohme workers from different countries who were new to the town. A number were Jewish and she remembers them telling the group about recipes for their feast days.

One of her Wednesday Group friends Sheila Meaney said they feel privileged to be involved in the club with Peg. “We are so loyal to the group because she (Peg) is so interesting. She could talk on any topic under the sun and have knowledge about it.”

Indeed you could happily listen to Peg all day recount her memories of times past in Clonmel and her rich life.

Peg says she is very fortunate that while her hearing is no longer good she is still able to think clearly.

Looking back on her life, she tells her Wednesday Group friends the one thing she is sorry about is that she worked too hard.

“I think I should have stood and stared far more. If it is a lovely day go out on the hills instead of translating shorthand. That is what I would advise you to do,” she declared.

Peg Rossiter (seated centre) with Clonmel Library staff. Front: Anne Marie Mullins and Neil Lambe; Back: Tom Flynn and Paul Ryan. Pictures: Maria Taylor