By Dionne Meehan
CELEBRATIONS are already underway for Charlie Meehan who turns 90 on Sunday.
From working in a flax mill, to contesting two local elections and battling cancer, the Manorcunningham man has lived an extraordinary life.
Last weekend he was in his element. He spent Saturday tuned into the radio to follow the early stages of the election count.
Then on Sunday, he donned his suit and headed to the Aura in Letterkenny where he was able to be part of the drama and excitement of the final counts.
By the end of the night, and with two Fianna Fáil candidates elected, he was a happy man.
Born on December 8, 1934 to Annie (née Lynch) and Neil Meehan, Charlie came from humble beginnings.
The eldest son of eight children, he left school at an early age to help his father on the farm despite passing his exams and being offered one year of free education.
“I worked a lot at flax and I am still an expert on it,” Charlie told the Donegal News.
“I am one of the few people left that would have a good general knowledge of flax from growing it to harvesting it and preparing it for the flax mills which prepared it for the weavers.”
Besides working on the farm, Charlie spent his free time singing in churches all around Donegal.
“The singing was a very important hobby to me,” Charlie said.
“I was in big demand at that time, I sang at funerals and weddings.
“I was then advised to go and get a bit of training, so I did that.”
Charlie still has fond memories of the first wedding he performed at and despite not singing much now, he insists he still has a great voice.
Charlie has more celebrations to anticipate other than turning 90-years-old. Next year, himself and Ruby will mark 60 years of married life.
Next year, Charlie and Ruby will mark 60 years of married life.
“I met Ruby on the boat going to Scotland,” Charlie said.
“I was over there for a while working as a contractor driving machinery.
“We are married 60 years next year.”
On Charlie’s return back to Donegal, his passion for politics and change spurred him to contest not one, but two consecutive local elections.
“I have had an interest in politics all my life, more than a passing interest,” he said.
“At the time I ran, the big issue locally was water.
“The water that we were using was collected from the river at Ray Bridge.
“That was my main topic, we wanted a different source and the second time I ran, the same issue was prevailing.”
A canvassing leaflet from when Charlie ran for the local elections.
On Charlie’s 14th birthday he attended his first election count. That year, Neil Blaney was elected to the 13th Dáil. Now 76 years on, he hasn’t missed one since.
“I was a young cub, you can just imagine how many people are gone since then,” he said.
“We were strong supporters.
“One of the great things about being in the Blaney camp was that in Fianna Fáil you never tasted defeat.”
At election time, Charlie and his brothers played an active part in manning the polling stations in Manorcunningham and the surrounding areas.
“At that time you could canvass outside the door of the polling stations,” Charlie said.
“You can’t do that now, you can’t advertise your candidate within 50 yards of the booth.”
And despite his age, Charlie played an active role on the canvassing trail for Cllr Donal Coyle during this year’s local elections.
“One of the things that cropped up on many occasions, which was very sad to see, was women coming to the doors to talk to you and eventually starting to cry as a result of defective blocks,” he said.
“That happened in Manor on more than one occasion.”
Now looking ahead to his birthday on Sunday, Charlie is planning to celebrate with those that matter most, his wife Ruby, his three children, Niall, Bridget and Ann and his four grandchildren, Chuckie, Ethan, Eva and Emily.
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