Heartache as Ireland's oldest person dies just days before turning 109 as family reveal common plant as key to long life
Sarah Coyle from
She was due to turn 109 in just 10 days, on July 24, but her family confirmed she passed away peacefully on July 14.
Her grandson Thomas Galligan said Sarah thanked her family and gave them her "blessing" before she passed.
Sarah is survived by her two children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren and her sister Lily.
Her sister Lily, who lives in the
READ MORE IN NEWS
She is predeceased by eight other siblings, her brother Andy passing away just before turning 101.
She passed away peacefully in her daughter Marian Galligan's
While she was born in Wicklow Sarah, whose maiden name was Byrne, later moved to Tullow with her family.
She was working as a housekeeper in Dublin when she met her husband Tom Coyle at a dance.
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
The
Is this the world's OLDEST woman- Great-great grandma lodges bid with Guinness
Tom worked as a postman and the couple lived in Dublin raising their children after their 1950 wedding.
However, Tom died in 1986 after suffering a stroke and brain hemorrhage and Sarah moved in with her daughter shortly afterwards.
Sarah lost her sight in 1957 at the age of 40 after suffering trauma to the head.
Missing her sight the woman developed a love of radio and particularly enjoyed listening to
SECRET TO LONG LIFE
Sarah was a keen gardener and a particular plant has even been credited in giving her such a long life.
Her daughter Marian Galligan told The Irish Times her mother would collect the first nettles of every spring.
She would then include them in her cabbage.
Marian said: "She used to say, 'that will purify your blood'.'
Despite her blindness Sarah loved her garden and laid guide wires to tend to it.
Having been born just weeks after the 1916 Easter Rising, Sarah had vivid memories of some of history's most important periods.
She recalled the Black and Tans rounding up everyone called James in her area, her father included, to identify a man who had shot one of theirs.
Her father was taken up the mountains but returned home safe hours later.
Sarah also remembers living through The War of Independence and the British control of Ireland.
1
Sarah passed away on Monday
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
A 40p bathroom staple will get rid of ‘invasive' caterpillars destroying your garden this summer
A BATHROOM staple that sells for only 40p at stores will protect your garden from "invasive" caterpillars. The everyday item is a surprising repellent against the insects that destroy box hedging and topiary plants. 1 Caterpillars are particularly active in July and August Credit: Getty Gardeners have been warned to watch out for the box tree moth caterpillar. The caterpillars, which are the larvae of the box tree moth, eat the leaves and bark of box trees. In only a few days, they may turn once-beautiful bushes dark, barren, and beyond rescuing. Ecology specialists at Arbtech have alerted gardeners that the number of caterpillars peak in July and August. read more on fabulous 40p solution But a 40p hack can help keep the pests away from your garden. An unscented bar acts as a repellent as many insects dislike the scent and residue that soap leaves behind. Simply leave a bar of soap near your plants or rub residue on leaves to keep insects at bay. Most read in Fabulous Soapy water also works wonders as it dries out caterpillars' outer layer, leading them to die from dehydration. For households with children or pets, soap is a low-risk alternative to chemical pesticides, and when used properly, it is less likely to damage pollinators. Alan Titchmarsh's top 7 plants that 'transform ugly fences with gorgeous flowers & fragrance' & they grow for years Experts' warning Infestations can be disastrous if left untreated with severely affected plants having to be uprooted and replaced completely. An ecologist from told 'Box hedging is hugely popular in British gardens, so this species is having a serious impact not just aesthetically, but financially too. 'We're urging homeowners to check their plants regularly over the summer months. "Look for tell-tale signs like webbing, leaf loss, or green-and-black striped caterpillars.' Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Brit survivor of Air India disaster tormented by nightmares where ‘everyone dies' and ‘won't speak' about horror crash
AIR India's sole crash survivor has nightmares where "everyone dies," and won't speak about the horror he went through, his family said. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, walked away with cuts and chest injuries after the 10 Vishwash Ramesh, the sole survivor of the Air India crash, posing for the first time since the disaster Credit: Dan Charity 10 Vishwash crawled through a hole in the wreckage and walked to an ambulance Credit: Reuters 10 Vishwash Ramesh is in a hospital a mile from where Air India flight 171 crashed Credit: HT Photo Despite being dubbed the "miracle man" and a "symbol of hope" in the country, the Brit still lies His cousin Krunal Keshave, 24, from Leicester, says he manages to sleep, but not properly. He told 'He remembers seeing everyone die in front of his eyes.' Read more on Air India crash Vishwash decided to stay in India to recover at his family home in Bucharwada hamlet in Diu, instead of going back to London or Leicester. He had been sitting in seat 11A, next to an emergency exit, and managed to His brother Ajay, 35, who was on the opposite side of the aisle in seat 11J, was among the 241 passengers who perished. 'He sees him [Ajay] everywhere,' said Keshave. Most read in The Sun 'He speaks but he doesn't speak about the crash. His wife and his son [who is four] are there with him, supporting him. Air India captain 'deliberately cut off fuel while staying eerily calm before crash 10 'He is currently trying to have a normal life, but he is not going out too much. 'He is spending time at home with the family. He was living in the house in Diu with his brother before the crash.' The miracle survivor 'Everything was visible in front of my eyes when the crash happened. 'I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive,' Vishwash said. 'It's a miracle I survived. I am OK physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay. 'If we had been sat together we both might have survived. I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one.' The pair had been returning to Leicester after the end of the fishing season at their family business in Diu. Their plan was simple: fly back to the UK on June 12 ahead of the monsoon. But the flight never made it. Moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, Flight AI171 lost altitude and smashed into a medical college hostel. A total of 241 passengers and crew plus 19 people on the ground were killed in the tragedy, including 52 Brits. The crash has become one of the deadliest involving British citizens in recent memory. Investigators are now zeroing in on a chilling twist in the cockpit. 10 Vishwash walked away from the disaster with just a few cuts and chest injuries Credit: Twitter 10 Thick black smoke rising from a residential area after Air India flight 171 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 Credit: AFP 10 The tail of Air India flight 171 after it crashed in a residential area near the airport Credit: AFP 10 Vishwash, left, and his brother Ajaykumar Ramesh, 35, had been in India on a business trip According to flight data reviewed by US investigators, captain Sumeet Sabharwal, 56, may have A preliminary summary of the black-box recording reportedly captures co-pilot Clive Kunder asking, 'Why did you cut off?', to which Sabharwal eerily replies, 'I didn't.' But the switches were flipped off one second apart and then turned back on ten seconds later — too late to restart the engines. It comes after reports the captain In Vishwash's case, surviving has become its own form of torment. 'He feels guilty that he is the only one to have lived when everybody else, including his brother, died. It's a lot to live with,' another relative told The Sunday Times. Key findings of Air India preliminary crash report Dual engine shutdown - fuel cutoff switches moved from 'RUN' to 'CUTOFF' Confusion between pilots - cockpit audio confirms one pilot asked 'why did you cut off', the other replied 'I didn't' RAT deployed - as seen in CCTV footage before the crash, the ram air turbine (RAT) which acts as a backup power source in case of emergencies had deployed Engine relight attempted - fuel switches were found returned to 'RUN' at crash site 32 seconds - the time the aircraft was airborne before it crashed Thrust levers mismatch - Thrust levers found at idle but black box data shows takeoff thrust was still engaged Fuel test pass - fuel was clean without any contamination Normal take-off set-up - Flaps and landing gear correctly configured No bird activity - clear skies, good visibility, light winds Pilot credentials clear - both medically fit and rested No sabotage detected - although FAA alerted over a known fuel switch vulnerability not checked by Air India Aircraft loading - the flight was within weight and balance limits After escaping the burning wreckage, Vishwash reportedly 'My family member is in there, my brother and he's burning to death. I have to save him,' he pleaded with emergency workers. Rescuer Satinder Singh Sandhu recalled: 'He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. 'There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. 'He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.' Doctors who treated him at Ahmedabad's Civil Hospital said he was stable despite his physical wounds. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited him during his five-day stay in hospital before he was discharged and returned home. Vishwash has since returned to the family's coastal village of Diu, where he is trying to recover with the support of his wife Hiral, their young son, and his extended family. 10 India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) meeting with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh at a hospital in Ahmedabad Credit: AFP 10 The Sun the met Vishwash at his family home in the coastal village of Diu Credit: Dan Charity
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Obituary: Sarah Coyle, Ireland's oldest resident at 108 who lived with ‘positive outlook' despite being blind for 68 years
A mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who lost her sight at the age of 40, she lived through the early years of Irish independence and the Civil War, two World Wars and several pandemics. She was born Sarah Byrne on July 24, 1916, in Knockatomcoyle, Co Wicklow, and was one of a family of 10 reared at Coolkenno, near Tullow on the Carlow-Wicklow border. She had clear memories of significant periods in Irish history, including recounting how members of the Black and Tans called to the family farm. They brought her grandfather James out and 'were going to shoot him at the gable end [of the house] — for no reason', her daughter Marian Galligan told the Irish Times earlier this year. However, after he blessed himself, the group leader ordered his men to put down their guns and let him live. Ms Coyle moved to Dublin at 17 and became a housekeeper in Foxrock. At a dance in Dún Laoghaire she met a Cavan man, Tom Coyle, and they married and moved to Drumcondra on Dublin's northside. Tom worked as a postman, and the couple grew vegetables and kept hens, supplying their neighbours with eggs. Their first two children, two girls, died just 10 days after they were born, but the couple went on to have a daughter, Marian, and son, Patrick. Sarah began to lose her eyesight in her 30s and her daughter believes it may have been linked to an incident where she was accidentally hit in the face and it affected her optic nerve. However, as those at her funeral in Blanchardstown on Friday heard, she never complained. Her husband Tom died in 1968 when only in his late 50s after suffering a stroke and a brain haemorrhage. With her two children still quite young, she was given much support by neighbours and her family. Her grandson, Thomas Galligan, said that she continued to garden, using guide wires that she made to navigate from the back door to the flower beds, including roses, and to her tomato plants. She was always someone who was so comforting He described her as very adaptable with a 'positive outlook on life'. One of her most frequent pieces of advice was 'not to bear a grudge' as life was 'too short'. She had been an avid reader before losing her sight, and continued with audiobooks. Ms Coyle also had a strong faith. She welcomed visitors, providing generous hospitality, and loved the sound of children's voices. 'Because she lost her sight, the radio was her insight into what was going on in the world,' Mr Galligan said. 'She loved keeping on top of things and then, when she would be chatting to us, she would be discussing it and getting our opinion. 'She was always someone who was so comforting. She had a very gentle way about her, someone that you go to if you're upset or have any issues. She would calm you.' She was happy to sing a song or recite a poem at social gatherings, but 'to keep the party going' rather than because she wanted to perform. She rarely drank alcohol, apart from the odd sherry on social occasions and attributed her longevity to a good diet, including using the first new nettles of spring to blend with cabbage and help to 'purify the blood'. She received eight presidential medals, the first being when she turned 100. After Ireland's then oldest resident, Phyllis Furness, died last August at the age of 109, Ms Coyle took on that mantle. She was just 10 days short of her own 109th birthday when she died at her daughter's home in Castleknock, where she had been living latterly. Sarah Coyle is survived by her children, her five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
