Nancy Stewart was disappointed when COVID-19 restrictions kept her from attending mass, so she started attending online services.
But she didn't limit her attendance to her local church. Instead, she went to mass in all of Ireland's 32 counties, as well as in places including Rome, New York and London — and her online fans followed her on her journey.
Stewart, who was referred to by many as Granny Nancy, died in her home Friday. She was 107 and was among the oldest people in Ireland.
Tens of thousands of people watched Stewart's funeral online yesterday.
"It's amazing and inspiring that this one person can have such a great impact on so many people and draw them in," her granddaughter Louise Coughlan told As It Happens host Carol Off.
"People pass by in our lives and you see them and then they're gone. But ... to engage with us ... and then to find the funeral ... there's no words for what that means to me personally."
Coughlan moved in with her grandmother last year in Clonard, a village west of Dublin, to take care of her during the pandemic.
Together, they made a Facebook page where they'd record themselves doing things such as baking. Stewart also spoke publicly about the importance of hand washing, and warned against panic-buying toilet paper.
Some of Stewart's other memorable videos include her asking the President of Ireland to give her a call — as well as advice for what she called the 'Real Housewives of Ireland.'
"Granny said she was a...
Read Full Story: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/107-year-old-social-media-sensation-remembered-for-attending-virtual-mass-in-every-irish-county-1.6173744
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