The old Sacred Heart Hospital - the site of the County Home and the Castlebar Workhouse.

From the archives: Ireland’s oldest woman (108) looking forward to Christmas in county home in 1955

By Tom Gillespie

IN the Christmas 1955 edition of The Connaught Telegraph the newspaper carried a headline ‘Ireland’s oldest women’ with the sub-heading - ‘Happy inmates of 108 and 104’.

The story read: The County Home, Castlebar, has the rather unusual distinction of having two women patients, who are believed to be the oldest women in Ireland, and both of them are eagerly looking forward to taking part in this year’s (1955) Christmas festivities.

One of the patients, Mrs. Ann McNally, a native of Tullabawn, Louisburgh, who celebrated her 108th birthday on November 14, 1955, is believed to be the oldest woman in Ireland.

The other woman, Mrs. Bridget Lavelle, a native of Fallagh, Belmullet, told The Connaught Telegraph correspondent that she was ‘104 and a little more’.

Known as ‘Grannie’ to her follow patients and staff in the institution, Mrs. McNally, though bedridden, enjoys the spirit and appearance of one 40 years younger and, despite her great age, has retained all her mental faculties and speaks coherently.

She was quite lively and in a jovial mood when she greeted and chatted with The Connaught Telegraph correspondent. She also spoke in Irish and she was proud to disclose she was a fluent Gaelic speaker since childhood.

She said: “If I had my clothes and shoes with me I would go out in the floor and dance with you.

“I reared 11 children, six are still living and they are near the pension age.”

When asked what she attributed her long life to, she said: “Hard work; I worked hard all my life, milking, digging, gathering kelp, wrack and burning kelp in a kill.”

Referring to the modern 1950s woman, she sad: “There was no lipstick or white chalk in my time and the present woman would be better off without the paint and white stockings.”

When asked if she ever smoked, she said: “I used to smoke the pipe when I had a toothache but I gave it up when I lost my teeth. I had a good appetite when I am in form.

“I was never a day sick in my life.”

At her bedside a special Christmas tree had been erected and everywhere in the institution there were signs of the approaching festive season and the staff were in the course of putting up decorations.

Referring to Christmas, she said: “I am looking forward to Christmas and I will get a drop of brandy to celebrate it even if I have pay for it.”

In the adjoining ward was Mrs. Bridget Lavelle, of Fallagh, Belmullet, who said: “I and 104 and a little more.”

Not as talkative as Mrs. McNally, she also attributed her life to hard work. She never smoked.

She would not agree that the present-day woman did not work hard and said: “All I see of them around here they work very hard.”