Catherine Connolly and former Taoiseach celebrate woman's 100th birthday

Maureen Finn became Ireland’s latest centenarian at the end of August, celebrating with family, friends and even a special guest at Riada House in Tullamore with photographer Ger Rogers capturing the event.

Ex-Taoiseach and Fianna Fail leader Brian Cowen was in attendance on the day presenting Maureen with a framed letter from President Connolly who congratulated her on the milestone age.

Maureen Finn was born on August 26, 1926, in Annaghmore, Kinnitty. She is the eldest of three children and after living for a time in Galway, moved to Tullamore where she has been living for 50 years.

The birthday wishes came in the same week where Catherine Connolly announced she will meet Donald Trump when he visits Ireland this week despite a previous war of words between the two Presidents.

The US President will visit Áras an Uachtaráin to meet the Irish President as part of a ‘brief courtesy visit’ while he is in Ireland.

It is understood that Trump will fly into Dublin Airport after attending the 25 year commemoration of 9/11 in New York.

The US President is scheduled to travel here from September 12 to 14 spending time at his International Golf Resort in Doonbeg, where the Irish Open is taking place, as well as attending a ceremony for the new US embassy in Ballsbridge.

During a fourth of July message to the American people, Trump said: “There's nothing better than Irish-American friendship and I have a beautiful place over there. It's one of the best, most beautiful golf courses anywhere in the world.”

But the friendship between Connolly and Trump has been rocky with several jabs going back and forth including a rude insult from the US President back in March.

Connolly has been heavily critical of the US foreign policy under Trump and said around St Patrick’s Day, before the annual Taoiseach-US President meeting, that “the normalization of war can never be accepted.”

In another statement marking International Women’s Day, the President said: “What we have witnessed in recent days in the Middle East, and beyond, are not political disputes."

"They are deliberate assaults on international law, the international laws that have underpinned global peace for 80 years.

“We must name them as such, without euphemism and without equivocation.”

She has also previously described Trump as “volatile, unpredictable, acting like a bully [and] bringing inn tariffs when it suits him”.

Trump responded to these remarks during the annual St Patrick’s visit and appeared to misgender Connolly in his reply.

Referencing Connolly’s comments surrounding the situation in Iran, Trump said: “Look, he's lucky I exist.”

Trump last visited Ireland in 2019.