Mayor wishes Lilly a happy 103rd birthday

And to mark the occasion The Mayor of Lisburn, Councillor Thomas Beckett, called in to see Lilly as part of his Mayoral engagements.

Lilly was born in Belfast in 1913 and her father was a joiner who helped to build the Titanic.

She grew up in East Belfast with her parents, two brothers and two sisters. She went on to train as a short hand typist, working for a solicitor in Belfast when she met her husband, Moira man, Billy, who was training as a watchmaker with renowned jeweller Joseph Rea.

He later went on to become a jewellery buyer with the Co-Op and the couple would travel to jewellers in Lisburn every Friday to deliver watches.

Lilly also spent time in London, where she developed her love of theatre, as well as ice skating.

She was also a dedicated player of hockey and tennis and was also said to be able to out bowl any man in cricket.

She worked hard all her life and puts her longevity down to plain living and plain eating,

“I called to see Lilly and presented her with a bouquet of flowers to mark her very special day and to celebrate her being 103 years young,” said Mr Beckett.

“I was delighted to spend time with Lilly and hear a little bit about her life. Lilly was a keen ice skater in her youth and I remarked to her that Ice Skating is still a popular sport with people and that one of the Council’s facilities, the Dundonald International Ice Bowl, is a very popular attraction for residents and visitors.

“It was lovely to meet Lilly and I hope she enjoyed her birthday.”