Dublin People
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Place a Classifieds Ad
  • Place a Memorial Ad
  • Place a Planning Ad
Toggle Menu
  • News
    • Southside
    • Northside East
    • Northside West
  • Sport
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Health
    • Motoring
    • Travel
    • Arts & Culture
    • House & Home
  • Community
    • Crime & Courts
  • Business
    • Education
    • Jobs
  • Digital edition
    • Northside People East edition
    • Northside West edition
    • Southside People edition
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Place a Classifieds Ad
  • Place a Memorial Ad
  • Place a Planning Ad

Funeral of Ireland’s oldest person Máirín Hughes 

Padraig Conlon 12 Sep 2023
Mairin Hughes. Picture credit: Maryfield Nursing Home

The funeral of Ireland’s oldest person Maírín Hughes, who died aged 109, took place last Saturday (9th) at Maryfield Chapel, Chapelizod. 

Maírín passed away peacefully in Maryfield Nursing Home in Chapleizod after a short illness on Tuesday, September 5.

Uilleann Piper Eamonn Walsh from St Maelruans Park Tallaght played at Maírín’s Cremation service in Glasnevin following her funeral Mass.

Among the many pieces Eamonn (pictured above) played were Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone, Raglan Road, The Brendan Voyage by Liam O’Flynn, Town I loved so well, You raise me Up and Amazing Grace.

Born two months before war broke out in 1914, Máirin Hughes remembered the Black and Tans in Killarney.

Her long life began on May 22nd, 1914, just two months before the beginning of the first World War.

Celebrating her 109th birthday she said “the secret to a long life was to “live life to the full” and “not to waste any time”.

Born in Belfast, Máirín spent her early years in Dublin where her father worked as a customs officer.

Her parents met in London some years before and were both members of the Gaelic League.

Máirín’s vivid memory allowed her to recall the Spanish Flu in Ireland in 1918, the Black and Tans patrolling her area in Killarney in 1921, and the Free State soldiers arriving in 1922.

She also recalls attending the Eucharistic Congress in 1932 with her family.

Advertisement

More than a decade later, in 1935, she had graduated with a science degree from University College Cork and went on to work in the University’s laboratory where she played a role in perfecting the production of synthesised Vitamin C, newly discovered at the time.

Her work in the 1930s and ’40s also included testing blood samples sent by doctors from Cork city and county.

“I sat into that job beautifully,” she said.

Máirín worked as a chemist until she married her husband Frank in 1950.

The couple then went to Dublin, where she became a teacher.

Máirín Hughes celebrated her 109 birthday at Maryfield Nursing Home in Chapelizod, with a trip on the Vintage Tea Trips bus along with fellow residents.

A celebration was held for Máirín Hughes on her 109th birthday earlier this year.

In interviews, Máirín said she kept her mind sharp by reading, playing Scrabble and doing crosswords.

Her reminiscences of her childhood in Killarney, her friendship with Peig Sayers, her love of Irish and her work as a scientist offer an unrivalled insight into the history of Ireland.

As a very young child in Killarney, she remembers her mother parcelling up food to give to those affected by the highly infectious flu epidemic.

Those delivering the parcels were told to knock on the door and then run like the blazes to avoid getting infected.

  • Dublin

Post navigation

>
<

Related News

Children’s House Primary 70th anniversary celebrations

Padraig Conlon • 29 Sep 23

Homeless figures down slightly from record high

Mike Finnerty • 29 Sep 23

Bike dumping widespread in Dublin 15, says Councillor

Mike Finnerty • 29 Sep 23
  • FOLLOW
    DUBLIN PEOPLE
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Trending Now

  • United Ireland would be “wonderful” but “cannot be enforced”, say U2
  • Dublin Cycling Campaign marks 30 years of campaigning
  • “No urgency” from An Bord Pleanála on flood protection says Councillor
  • DART station lift is “like something out of a horror movie”


Dublin People Group
Dublin People Northside East
Dublin People Northside West
Dublin People Southside

The Dublin People Group is the largest local newspaper in Dublin, with three popular weekly titles serving the city: Northside People East, Northside People West & Southside People. Each of our titles are compact and available every Monday. Our publications are distributed throughout Dublin’s suburbs to homes, pick-up points and businesses.

DPG Publications Ltd
Unit 3 Robinhood Industrial Estate Dublin 22 Ireland.
Publisher of the following newspaper titles. The Northside People East, The Northside People West & The Southside People Newspapers

  • FOLLOW
    DUBLIN PEOPLE
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Phone: 01-8621611
Advertising: sales@dublinpeople.com
News: news@dublinpeople.com
Planning: planning@dublinpeople.com

  • Contact Us
  • Cookie policy (EU)
  • Privacy statement (EU)
  • Disclaimer
  • Return,Refund and Cancellation policy
  • Advertising and Pricing Policy
Copyright © 2021 Dublin People
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Go to mobile version