Kerry woman celebrates 90th birthday with her 19 children

What a way to celebrate your 90th birthday! iStock

Nora Kelly’s 90th birthday was a massive family affair.

What a way to celebrate your 90th birthday! Kerry woman Nora Kelly was joined by all of her 19 children as well as 50 of her 58 grandchildren and 16 of her great-grandchildren to ring in her 90th year.

Marking the massive milestone birthday at her home in Ardaneanig, Co Kerry, Nora lives there independently, her husband passing away in 2003. She still has the youngest son Lawrence to keep an eye on her from next door, however.

Although all but one of her children still live in Ireland, with busy lives, it’s always hard to get all 13 sisters and six brothers together at the one time and so this was the first time in four or five years that the gang had managed to reunite.

“There’s always something on that someone can’t get out of so it’s been four or five years since we all met up,” said Seamus Kelly, Nora’s 14th-born child.

“We had a small farm and grew everything ourselves so there was always a job to be done. That kept us out of mischief.”

Image: Irish Examiner

With her eldest child Eamon now in his mid-60s and her youngest Laura now in her mid-40s, Nora had a child almost every year over the space of two decades but now that all Kellys are grown up and have families of their own, she hasn’t slowed her down, becoming active in the Irish Kidney Association and the Kerry Parents and Friends Association.

“She was always involved in the community and thankfully she’s still in great form and enjoying life,” said Seamus.

“We knew no different growing up but looking at my own family, I don’t know how she did it. I have three and I think that’s a crowd!”

Happy birthday, Nora!

H/T: Irish Examiner