Clodagh Finn: An extraordinary, ordinary Irish woman who built community and connections

Celine Slattery, who died last month aged 96, used to joke she would be only remembered for her bawdy rendition of Patricia the Stripper. For the people of Tralee, she will be remembered for much more than that

Celine Slattery was still singing her party piece Patricia the Stripper in her 90s, just one amusing detail in the legacy of a woman who did so much to shape and enhance the town of Tralee.

The anthemic boom of Wrecking Ball is lodged in my head because I’ve been watching the video on repeat. Not the Miley Cyrus version, but the one lip-synced by four Kerry women in their 70s and 80s who belt it out with impressive élan.

One of them, Celine Slattery, even takes up a sledgehammer, à la Miley (though fully clothed), to drive home the point that you can be cool, relevant and ridiculously good fun at any age.