Irish minister meets 105-years-young Mercy sister in Auckland

Mr Buttimer, who is Minister of State for Charities, Gaeltacht and the Islands, and Rural Transport in the Republic of Ireland, posted on social media about his meeting with the Sister of Mercy.

Sr Irenaeus moved from Ireland to New Zealand in 1940 and has been a religious sister here since, Mr Buttimer said.

“She tells me her secret to a long life is to ‘just keep going’ and to take a walk every day,” he said. “It was lovely to meet with her.”

In a similar post on X.Com, formerly Twitter, Mr Buttimer described Sr Irenaeus as an “incredible woman”. He was in New Zealand on an official visit.

Soon after Sr Irenaeus turned 100 on February 25, 2020, she said hers had been a wonderful life.

“It really has. I couldn’t have been as happy anywhere else, I’m sure,” she said.

She arrived in New Zealand on January 31, 1940, and entered St Mary’s Convent in Ponsonby. She worked with Māori people in the Far North, at Pawarenga and Kaitaia, for about 23 years, though not continuously. She also taught in Ponsonby, Otahuhu, Avondale, Manurewa, Henderson and Northcote, until her retirement in 2005.

Sr Irenaeus said it had been hard at times. She loved teaching children, especially the new entrants.

“[We had] huge classes. It was just after the war. I remember having 72 (pupils) or something and having many primers is just dynamite. I would have been in my 30s,” she said.

Sr Irenaeus said her secret to long life is “good living and chip on, chip on”.

“I always loved walking . . . I’ve never driven a car. Apart from that, I was always a good walker,” she said. “And I’ve always kept active at something. I wasn’t the kind of person who can sit for long.”

She also had a great love of gardening, and enjoyed swimming.

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Irish eyes smiling – Sister chalks up a century – NZ Catholic Newspaper (NZ Catholic)