A delighted centenarian, who was struck down by coronavirus and beat the deadly bug, celebrated her 104th birthday like a queen yesterday .
Josephine Silo was spoiled and pampered by her nieces, nephews and staff from the Sacred Heart Residential Nursing Home in Raheny.
Her niece Anne Colfer, who cared for her aunt at her home in East Wall in Dublin for nine years, yesterday (Wed) said: "It was brilliant for her, thank God.
"An awful lot of her friends sent cards and Mass cards to her.
"People are flabbergasted that she looks so well and that she's still around.
"When she was in East Wall the people down there were fantastic and for her 100th birthday they actually had a horse and carriage and they drove her around the area like the queen and she waved to everybody.
"She had a lovely day again for her 104th and she was treated like royalty again.
"We try and divide out our visits now, but, I would go up every week and I'd look after her hair and her nails and her eyebrows, she's very vain even though she's 104."
Josephine was born on the Shelbourne Road in the capital in 1916 before the family moved to Rathmines where she spent most of her life.
The Dubliner, who worked as a waitress, was the youngest of six girls, however, they are now all deceased.
Anne added: "Josie had Covid-19 between late-March and April.
"She got it in the nursing home but she was one of the lucky ones.
"She had a mild dose of it, not to the extent of other people that are on respirators and all that, so she was able to stay in the nursing home.
"It was more so taste, sense, smell and an awful cough that she had."
Anne said because of Covid-19 restrictions in the nursing home they went to her cousin Peter Cummins' home instead for the main celebration.
She concluded: "We couldn't celebrate her birthday in the nursing home because they were only letting six people in.
"We had a little garden party for her.
"Josie was never married, but she would have an awful lot of nieces and nephews so you couldn't really decide who do you invite and who do you leave out."
