Ireland’s oldest man has died at the age of 108.
Luke Dolan, from Cloonfree, Strokestown, Co Roscommon, passed away on Sunday at Cloverhill nursing home. He had lived at home on the family farm until he was over 100.
A keen GAA man, he attributed his longevity to a boiled egg every day, plenty of sugar in his tea and a devoted wife. He was also off the cigarettes for almost 50 years, having kicked the habit at 60.
One of seven children, he had one sister, Mary-Kate, who had lived to the age of 106.
A father of seven himself, Mr Dolan’s wife Peggy passed away in 2005 at the age of 85.
Local councillor Eugene Murphy paid tribute to Mr Dolan, and noted how "He was a very learned man."
In 1932 Mr Dolan played for Strokestown when the club won the county championship and he was proud of the fact that his grandson, also named Luke Dolan, had lined out for the Roscommon senior team for a number of years.
His funeral takes place at Strokestown parish church tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11am.
Mr Dolan is survived by his sons John Joe, Tom, Pat, Michael, Gerard and daughters Madeline and Bernadette, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Co Roscommon retains the distinction of being home to Ireland's oldest man. Michael Lambert, from Ballintubber, turned 107 last month. The two men, who were born a year and less than 20 miles apart, met for the first time during the summer, when Mr Lambert dropped into Cloverhill to chat about the old days .
