Ireland’s oldest citizen
Monday, 14th October 2002
A Co. Galway woman who may be the oldest citizen in Ireland, Margaret “Maggie” Dolan from Corofin, continues to attend Mass in her local church every Sunday and enjoys good health in her 110th year.
Galway: Special Mass for Ireland’s oldest woman
Monday, 28 July 2003
A Mass in Mervue Church in Galway City started the birthday celebrations for Maggie Dolan, a native of Corofin who has reached the age of one hundred and ten. Maggie is by no means confined to her home, for most weekends see her traveling to Galway to visit her nieces and nephews. Her family organised a party for her in Mervue after the Mass and a second party took place in Corofin the following day. During the Mass Maggie was presented with a medal from President Mary McAleese and the Mayor of Galway, Terry O’Flaherty, presented her with a bouquet of flowers.
Sprightly Maggie celebrates her 110th birthday
THE oldest person in Ireland, Galway’s Maggie Dolan, celebrated her 110th birthday yesterday.
She was the centre of attention at Mass in Mervue Church on Saturday night when she was presented with a special medal sent to her by President Mary McAleese to mark the occasion.
The sprightly 110-year-old lady was not at all fazed when Mayor of Galway Terry O’Flaherty told her she had now made history by becoming the oldest person in Ireland.
She is only one year behind British lady Gladys Hawley (111), from Chesterfield, who made the Guinness Book of Records last week as the oldest woman in the UK.
The President was told that Maggie Dolan would be 110 this weekend by Galway’s Mayor when Mrs McAleese recently attended the Connacht Senior Football semi-final in the city’s Pearse Stadium earlier this month.
“I asked the President if it would be possible for her to surprise Maggie Dolan on her birthday by attending the Mass in Mervue Church this weekend but unfortunately she had made prior arrangements to be out of the country at the time,” said Mayor O’Flaherty.
But she added that the President promised to contact her in advance of Maggie Dolan’s 110th birthday and true to her word she did so.
Margaret Dolan was born on July 27, 1893 and she has been living in Corofin, Co Galway most of her life. She never married and spent two years in the United States, but returned to Ireland at the time of the Wall Street Crash.
111-year-old Maggie is Ireland’s oldest woman
A GALWAYWOMAN who was 19 when the Titanic sank in 1912 celebrated her 111th birthday in Galway city last night.
Ireland’s oldest woman Maggie Dolan who is a native of Corofin in north Galway, reached the milestone and celebrated with a quiet party in her honour. A mass was held in her absence at Mervue Church last weekend, as she was unable to attend.
Maggie, who never married, was born on July 28 1893 and has spent most of her life in Corofin. She did live for a period of two years in the United States in the 1920s, but came back in 1929 at the time of the Wall Street Crash.
Now she divides her time between the homes of her nieces Julie and Christine in Corofin and Galway.
The sprightly 111-year-old who was nearly 20 when the Titanic sank in 1912 has a lifetime of memories but has attributed her longevity to endurance and hard labour.
“I believe in hard work, lots of prayer, and the eating of plain food,” she said, and yesterday she received visitors and guests at the home of her niece Christine at Ballyloughane Road, where she lives for part of the year in Galway city.
Her friend and former mayor of Galway Cllr Terry O’Flaherty visited Maggie this week and said that she was in great spirits.
“She had setbacks recently but was in great form. She is a remarkable woman and is believed to be (sic) the second oldest woman in the world.
“She has a great appetite and great health and has only ever been in hospital once in her life when she broke a hip at 100.
“So she is remarkable and is not on any tablets or pills.
“In her life she has seen lots of governments, six popes, she was 19 when the Titanic went down, saw the first aeroplane and the first car, so she has been around and witnessed lots of changes,”said Cllr O’Flaherty.
Officially the oldest woman in the world is Dutch woman Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, who is aged 114, and lives in the region of Hoogeveen in the northeast of the country.
Galway: Party for the country’s oldest woman
Maggie Dolan from Corofin, who divides her time between two nieces in Galway and Corofin, celebrated her 111th birthday last week with a party at her niece Christine’s house in Ballyloughane Road in Galway. Maggie never married and lived most of her life in Galway though she did spend two years in the States just prior to the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Although she was unable to attend a Mass in her honour in Mervue Church last weekend, she was well enough to be the centre of attention at her birthday party. Maggie is believed to be not only the oldest woman in Ireland but also (sic) the second oldest in the world.
Dec 7 2004
Ireland’s oldest person passes away aged 111
Ireland’s oldest person Margaret Dolan has died peacefully among family at the age of 111.
Maggie as she was affectionately known by friends and family in her native village of Corofin in Co. Galway was born on July 27, 1893.
A non-smoker and teetotaller she believed that being young at heart kept her going. Her niece Christine Naughton — who was at Maggie’s side when she passed away — said: “She didn’t act the old person at all. She was always young at heart.
“Her faith was very strong and she took a real interest in people and the world. She loved reading and was still able to read up to a few years ago when her eyesight failed.”
Maggie was buried at St. Colman’s Church in Corofin on Sunday.
CHRONICLERS NOTE: SEVERAL OF THE ABOVE ACCOUNTS REFER TO BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS OCCURRING IN JULY; HOWEVER THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENTATION STATES AUGUST 30 – SAID DATE THEREFORE APPLIES IN THIS CHRONICLE.
Ireland's Oldest People 