New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-04
cAys SHE IS A CENTENARIAN.
,,r REMARKABLE STORY OF AN M
MIGRANT WOMAN.
,,,rc~,oNs OF THE FRENCH INVASION OF
IRELAND IN 1T9s-A LIFE OF loi fhNhS
N COUNTY KERRY-IRIsH HER
ONLY LANGUAGE.

IRELAND IN 1tpS-A LIFE VT wv '"-'''
N COUNTY KERRY-IRIsH HER
ONLY LANGUAGE.
.a-o, cate. which is situated between the
- office and the ship news Office OF me ""'''u
go napers on the Battery, Is known as ''e
,sno,d OF the United States. and throueh us
- confines pass the great majority Oh tue ""-
,,. ,rho come 10 this country IN the nope Oh
.o.srr their condition. Perhaps no more in'er-
oe.' 90 certainly TO more ancient. character
r9"" e.a through the 'fron gate" for some time
70. rrs Mary Coffey, who landed yesterday from
80. rynard steamship Aurania. Mrs corey says
-. was porn in County Kerry. ireland iVi years
&C., and in that period has not before iei' '''e mn"
,s of Kerry, or got beyond 'he ne's""o'" '0'
Of her own piss and chickens ~
A, the old Irish woman sat upon strlngplece
- .ho haree office Yesterday and told her story
~ presented a strange picture. she IS not m"ch
,ors than four feet in height, ana her race as
,hrvclled and drawn until IL resembles what
Mr. Darwin called one OF our COUSINS Ing an
c,snt danes hearing, eyesight ana walNihR ao"Ues
80. GOOD but as she sat munching an apple she
80 "a he oblivious Of oil around her. She knew
-, word OF English and the conversation that
1rihune reporter had with her was entirely through
tho medium OF her daughter Catharihe OoHey' VINO
h.s gone over 20 Kerry to bring neT no'her
hacI, TO her home in Plainheld Conn, ana OF Peter
croden. the wel.-krown Ellis Island detective. Mrs
cafe could SPEAK nOtnNB Out HVi i'"'''~ ~'-1"'
ord in this tongue size talked freely to Groden VINO
is an adept in It's use o
The old woman. after saying that she was Iot
wars old declared that she remembered well the
french invasion of Ireland in 1928 when she was
savsn wears old and easily recalled the DattIe OF
pallinainuck which occurred on September D. 1913
ss,ueen the Irish rebels and the French on one
80 and the English the other Many or ne
rsn Of her family took part in the inemorapie
...,,ggle In her cultural language she tod OF tne
ssnsirg OF the French General Humoert ana tne
.enons from the remnant OF his fleet, ana Their
ssfesi by the English, which the aged immigrant
plainly deplored. -, l., u,,a % old
ocn,,rrences than on later happenings In answer
~ peter Grodens questioning. she said that sne
ssed rad eight children four of whom were now nv
ne and that ner husband had been dead MY
ms ms When last seen Mrs Coffey was climb
nc unassisted. the elevated railroad stairs with
- air Of nonchaiance that suggested the dea thtt
a. was gridironed with elevated roads;
Ssveral hundred immigrants a year arrive mere
from Ireland who speak nothing put irish
,, Mrs Coffey IS without doubt the Oldest imm-
srsn; that has ever been landed in this city. The
frish language is still the familiar tongue OF many
neonle in Kerry, Connaught, Sligo, Mayo ana Gal
rsy The purest Irish according TO Peter Grodeh
IS spoken IN Galway. but then Peter Is a native OF
GALWAY 4 peculiar feature OF irodens irish IS
ne fact ;ha; he could speak nothing but English
until he arrived this country. and now he prefers
Irish 10 English.