My Greystones: Siobhan Hanley

15MAY14

iobhan was our second ever My Greystones – our feeling early on that, hey, we should get a few Greystones icons up there early, to let people know that we meant business.

And the divine Ms Hanley is the business.

A woman who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is, Siobhan also has something of a Pied Piper effect on kids. They just gravitate towards the woman. And then they hold on.

Is it any wonder Siobhan’s own kids – all grown up now, and spreading that Hanley mischief far and wide – are such fun people? Because amidst all the community spirit, the way with kids, the craic with adults, the healthy food and the devilish few drinks in the late afternoon, the one thing you can always be sure of with Siobhan is a bit of fun.

It’s always there, in that cackle of a laugh. A laugh that suggests she’s just thought of something naughty, or said something naughty, or is, indeed, just about to do something naughty.

As for Siobhan’s early days as an exotic dancer in Papa New Guinea, well, those years have clearly kept the woman fit well beyond her 87 years.

Such years may also explain her inherent sense of goodwill. And that wicked sense of humour.