Popular Tipperary man celebrates 100th birthday with friends and family

​​Paddy Quirke was born in 1926 in Annameadle, Toomevara, to parents Michael and Molly Quirke, née Dwan.He is one of five children, with three brothers and one sister.

From a young age, Paddy had a great love of sport. He played hurling for his club, Toomevara, and was also a member of the Moneygall Running Club, where he won many medals one of which was for the 1952 County Tipperary Cross Country Championships. He married Kay Kennedy in 1958 and shortly afterwards, they sold their farm in Annameadle and moved to Clehile, The Ragg, where they farmed for eight years. It was here their eldest child, Michael, was born.

After this, Paddy and Kay bought a farm in Ballymoreen, Littleton, where their two daughters, Mary and Majella, were born. In local living memory, the house at Ballymoreen was previously occupied by the Byrne, Brereton and Nolan families. Paddy ran a dairy farm there, along with a few brood mares for breeding. Later, he gave up the cows and began to concentrate on his passion for horses. He went on to run a stud farm, breeding horses for the showjumping market.

As he approaches his 100th birthday, Paddy has only recently retired from the stud farm and still has a strong interest in horses. His love of farming, horses and sport has been a big part of his life and continues to this day. In August 2026 he was honoured by the Horse Show Committee for his long lifetime participation in the Show.

One of his great friends was the late Willie O'Dwyer of The Steeple, Littleton. Owners of adjoining lands, they had often joked across the ditches as to who would be the first to reach his hundredth birthday. Willie was sadly a year short when he died last year at 99, may he rest in peace.

Local people admired how Paddy and Kay worked together as a family, always willing to help anyone in need and enjoy the chat with everyone .A close farming nonagenerian neighbour, Maura Ryan reminds us that " its the chat that keeps us going".

Among the first to arrive at the Horse and Jockey Hotel for Paddy's Centenary were local correspondent for the Tipperary Star Gerry Bowe and photographer George Willoughby. As more and more guests arrived, there was a great sense of excitement and the joy of meeting old friends and making new ones. Suddenly from the Leisure Centre side Paddy was joyfully led in by veteran piper, Gerry Neville from the Sean Treacy Moycarkey Borris Pipe Band. During the next hour Paddy received the compliments and best wishes of all present.Among the dignitaries present were Michael Lowry TD and Fr James Purcell.

With presentation time looming, the Derrynaflan Theatre was almost filled with the many guests. Upon entry, Paddy was given a standing ovation and surrounded by family, especially the younger generations sat with predidential status at the front.

Michael O'Hara from Longford spoke of his yearly visits to Ballymoreen and how on one occasion someone asked Paddy where were all the medals as proof that he had won races.

With the customary, glint in his eye Paddy replied "If you had won races 74 years ago, you wouldn't know where the medals were either!”

John Egan, representing the Mayo and Westmeath branches of the family, spoke of Paddy as his favourite cousin and of Annameadle as a kind of mystic homeland of their extended families. He told us that in times past some of the Westmeath cousins brought bonhams for 75 miles on on the carriers of their bicycles for fattening, and returned home with chickens for rearing.

Annameadle was where Paddy met Kay Kennedy, his wife and companion for 62 years He had told John that "Every hour of our marriage was a happy one". Surely nothing better can be said!

The presentation with cake and candles symbolically carried all our best wishes, blessings and gratitude whether as family member or one of his wide circle of friends.

Paddy thanked all for their presence and wished everyone the best of luck. His final words, " We might see another one" was met with a round of applause.

An overheard remark: "This is the first one hundredth birthday party that I have ever been at" would be true for most of those present.

Those of us privileged to have visited Paddy in recent times come away enriched by the clarity of his memories and the wisdom that life has taught him. He is grateful that things are much better now.

His great admiration is for the mothers of his earlier years who reared large families, prepared meals for the many farm workers and woked in the fields alongside their husbands.

We are grateful to all who organised Paddy's Centenary Celebrations, for  the delightful finger food and "coffee in the Jockey" that is always a special treat.