Flowers delivered to elderly ladies cocooning in Limerick parish for International Women's Day

COVID has made the chairperson of Kilfinane senior citizens Christmas party currently redundant but she certainly hasn't sat back and waited for December.

Marie O'Connor came up with the idea of delivering purple flower pots to every elderly woman cocooning in the Kilfinane area to mark International Women's Day.

"It was just to tell them they are not being forgotten. They are still a part of the community," said Marie, who contacted Hennessy Nurseries who loved and got behind the idea.

The flower pots have been delivered to women in Glenosheen, Ardpatrick, Glenroe, Ballyorgan, Ballinvreena and Kilfinane over the last few days. They came complete with a card from da Vinci Creative.

"The smiles we got. You cant put a price on a smile. They were so appreciative of being thought about. I never realised how much joy it would bring," said Marie.

But she didn't stop there. There are a lot of online events to mark International Women's Day but Marie says these aren't suitable for many. So she put her thinking cap on and decided to decorate shop windows in Kilfinane to lift spirits.

"I didn't know how to do it. I went next door to Ger who asked Mr O'Sullivan for the use of MacCarthy's. He has bought it and very kindly said yes. Everybody thought I was mad, asking me how I was going to fill a 24 foot window!" laughed Marie.

She ordered 100 party balloons and celebrated inspirational women like Countess Markievicz, Mary Robinson, Vicky Phelan, Trudi Lalor and many more by putting up their photos.

Heffernan's two shops, Molly's, Ballyhoura and Kelleher's have also been turned purple for International Women's Day.

Marie wished to thank everybody for getting behind her - Kilfinane Community Council; Kilfinane Arts, Crafts and Traditional Skills Group; Ruth McAuliffe, Tommy O'Sullivan, Camilla O'Brien, Andrew O Gorman, Eilís Heffernan Brendan O'Brien for putting up the bunting; Ger Carey, Sr Patricia, Tommy, Andrew and Esie Mee for doing the display at O'Sullivan's (previously MacCarthy's) window and all the local businesses for getting involved and putting up window displays; Alice Carroll and Alice Hennessy who helped organise the event.

"Thanks also to the sponsors including Hennessy's Nurseries who donated 100 beautiful flower pots to give out to all the women over 75 in the area, Kilmallock Credit Union, Sheehy's Centra, Powers Pharmacy, Da Vinci Creative, Murphy’s Your Stop, Kilfinane Tidy Towns and Vale View Residents," said Marie, who epitomises what International Women's Day is all about.

To watch a video of all that has been happening please click here