3 days ago
Ireland's oldest person dies aged 108
The death has occurred of a 108-year-old Irish woman who lived through two pandemics, the Irish Civil War and the War of Independence.
Sarah Coyle was a native of Knockatomcoyle, Co Wicklow but resided with her daughter Marian Galligan in Castleknock in Dublin. She passed away peacefully on Monday surrounded by her family.
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Mrs Coyle, who was born in the year of the Easter Rising, is understood to have been the oldest person in the country.
Sarah, who had the maiden name Byrne, was born on July 24th, 1916 and grew up in Coolkenno before moving to Dublin as a teenager.
In an interview with The Irish Times in April, her daughter Marian said that her mother had a very strong memory of the the Black and Tans, the British Forces who operated in Ireland during the War of Independence from 1919 to 1921.
'When she was very young, the Black and Tans came around and brought her grandfather James out. They were going to shoot him at the gable end [of the house] – for no reason, they were just going around doing purges,' Ms Galligan said.
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"He blessed himself and he said, 'Blessed be the will of God'.' At this point the leader of the group told his men, 'Put down your guns.' They left him there, they didn't shoot him. It wasn't the will of God,' Ms Galligan said.
Mrs Coyle hailed from a family of 10. Many of her siblings also lived long lives. Her sister Lily Kelly who resides in Solihull in the UK turned 103 earlier this year whilst her brother Andy Byrne lived to 100.
Meanwhile, as a young woman Sarah worked in Foxrock in Dublin where she was employed as a housekeeper. She met her husband Tom Coyle at a dance. He was a native of Cavan who died in the mid 1980s. He worked as a postman until ill health set in in his late 50s.
The couple lived in Drumcondra. They had four children two of whom died as newborns.
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The grandmother and great grandmother lost her sight in her early 30s.
Sarah rarely drank other than the odd sherry 'to be sociable". She attributed her longevity to the habit of her mother of putting the first nettles of spring in to their cabbage to 'purify their blood".
Mrs Coyle became the oldest person in Ireland following the death on March 20th last in Letterkenny in Co Donegal of Ruby Druce. Ms Druce was 109 years and 79 days at the time of her passing. She lived on her own until she was 98.
