‘During the night, police would come to our house just to taunt us’

Rainy suffered through apartheid South Africa before finding love in Ireland

Rainy Kelly at her home in Newcastlewest, Co Limerick. Rainy praises Nelson Mandela for giving her the freedom to travel to Ireland, where she would meet her husband Patrick. Picture: Eamon Ward

Rainy Kelly recalls being woken at 2am to the terrifying sound of incessant banging and racial slurs, which were typical of apartheid police during her childhood in South Africa.

Now, almost aged 70 and living in Limerick, the native of Vosloorus, a township situated south of Boksburg, admits she is still haunted by their violent taunts.