Irene MacDonald Celebrates 100 Years With Her Friends.

Carrie Jones

just now

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Window Panes Home and Garden.

BAR HARBOR—Irene MacDonald has advice for other people looking to hit the 100 year milestone that she reached Friday, October 30.

It’s pretty simple.

It’s to love your neighbor.

You could see that love in action as Irene celebrated her birthday at Galyn’s Restaurant in Bar Harbor.

As people entered the private room reserved for her by friends, Irene accepted one hug after another. She teased her friends and neighbors who teased her right back. She leaned forward for good stories and enjoyed some of her favorite foods from the restaurant as Gail Leiser stood just outside the threshold, making sure everything went well for Irene.

A sash declaring “Birthday Queen” hung from the wall. Flowers decorated the table. The room filled with merriment and stories and memories as they all created a new one.

“Such a great lady,” more than one person said.

“One in a million,” people said while Irene laughed and preened for a photo that she insisted on making sure was good enough.

Irene might not know it, but it’s hard for a photo to be good enough when it comes to capturing the reflecting of someone who has told stories and met hundreds of visitors and locals over five decades on Mount Desert Island.

“She’s so special because she’s always been her own spunky, independent self and we love her,” Deb and Bruce Staples said via email after the event.

Sheila Glavine said the festivities were going to be lowkey, but still joyous.

She was right.

The guest of honor was front and center.

Irene is from Philadelphia originally. On Mount Desert Island, where she’s been calling neighbors friends since the 1970s, she’s worked at Oli’s Trolley, on tour boats, other businesses, and been a crossing guard.

At Galyn’s, neighbors called out to each other. Former coworkers exclaimed as others walked into the room.

“She’s one of a kind,” Deb Staples said, watching it all.

The woman next to her agreed.

“Happy birthday! Happy birthday.”

“Hi, Irene,” one former co-worker called out as a man who did boat tours with her entered the room.

He’d been a naturalist on one of the boat tour companies that Irene had worked with, Jim Glavine explained, smiling from his chair.

“Oh! Oh! I was just going to take you off my phone list,” Irene teased.

The man laughed and went down on one knee so that they could talk.

She asked all about him, which is a somewhat typical Irene move, and then declared, “It’s just so nice to see you.”

“It’s so nice to see you,” he said back.

Irene, Glavine said, is a great storyteller, amazing at customer service. She lives independently still, but not really, because she has an amazing group of family and friends.

She’s one of a kind.

She loves her neighbors but her neighbors?

They very much love her.

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All photos unless otherwise cited: Carrie Jones/BHS

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