Birthday Celebrations for Marta and Mary at The Shoemaker’s

Mary O Brien Birthday Celebrations at The Shoemaker's Bar 14-1-2017
Mary O’Brien (second from right) celebrating her birthday at The Shoemaker’s Bar on Saturday night with her partner, James Hayes (right) and: John Sugrue with Mary’s sisters, Catheriona and Eileen and mom, Kay. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Polish born, Marta Bobrowska celebrated her 18th birthday with family and friends at the Shoemakers’ Bar on Saturday night.

Marta is a leaving certificate student at St. Joseph’s Presentation Secondary School and she is hoping to pursue a career in nursing in Ireland.

Born in the cultural, historically famous and industrial city of Gdansk, Marta lived there until she was eight years of age.

Now, a decade on, she loves Castleisland and everything about it and she speaks like a native.

“I was born in the city of Gdansk and I love it and go back there almost every Christmas, but I really love Castleisland. I mean it’s so small, it’s tiny and the town and the country are all here together.

The most recent population figures for Gdansk puts the city at 461,489 people. That’s a huge difference from the comparatively tiny total of 2,500 plus for Castleisland.

“I have lots of good and sound friends here now and Castleisland is home for me at this stage. I didn’t go to Poland for this Christmas because my nan came to visit us instead.

“I joined the Sliabh Luachra Boxing Club recently and it’s a great way of meeting people and many of my friends are members as well. Boxing is my main hobby at the moment and I have a busy year ahead with the leaving cert coming up next summer,” said the ever smiling Marta from the city known as the Pearl of the North.

We know Gdansk for the heroic stance of its people during the birth of the Solidarity movement throughout the 1980s and 90s which saw labour rights activist Lech Walesa standing up for his people and eventually becoming Poland’s president in 1990 for a term.

Marta’s nan, Henia and her parents, Adan and Beata and her sister, Julia and many local and Polish family and friends joined in her special celebrations at the Shoemakers.

It may all sound very biblical but Marta shared her birth-date with Mary. Up the bar a bit, local lady, Mary O’Brien was also celebrating her */@th birthday with her partner James Hayes and family members and friends. It all made for a very busy Saturday night at The Shoemaker’s and John Feehan played music for them all.

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