Centenarians

I am always fascinated to hear the stories of centenarians - the changes they lived through, their take on life in their old age versus their youth, any wisdom they have accumulated which they can impart to those younger than them, what "secrets" they have (or don't have) for why they lived so long.

I saw the film "older than Ireland" recently and found it enjoyable. It puts the transience of current affairs into context when you hear recollections from people who were 8 to 12 years old when the civil war was happening!

Thinking back through history, it is possible to think-up interesting 105-year-timespans which in theory *could* have constituted a persons lifespan. For example, imagine being born in 1837 and living until 1942; Age 10 at the height of the great famine, in your 30s and 40s during the Land War, 40s/early 50s when Parnell was at his height, 66 when the wright brothers took their flight, 84 when Ireland won independence, living for the first 2 years of world war 2. Seeing inventions from the early days of railways, anaesthetic, typewriters, telephones, electric lightbulbs, huge steamships, tinned food, motor vehicles, gramophones, motion pictures, colour photography, aerial warfare, organised sport etc.

Surely everyone finds the really old very interesting?

Barry Badrinath

Old people are like an interactive history book.

The index of chapters is always interesting but the wall of content is always eyeball rollingly boring.

Pictures are usually helpful...unless from a time when colour hadn't been invented yet.


Edit: Thats not true, old people can be interesting.

LDN_Irish

Yes of course, until they start talking.

allibastor

Centenarians!!!!

I am in early 30's and I have seen the cassette, then Minidisk, then CD, then MP£ player and now spotify.

I cant keep up!!!

I also showed my children an old gameboy recently, they thought i was messing with them that it didnt have 3d.

Samaris

I agree and think the last hundred years is probably one of the most fascinating times to have been alive, fascinating and hard too, of course, maybe take it back ten years to be able to (if barely) remember the First World War, and then the Second, the Age of Communication, the massive changes that have taken place. I would also say more so if you lived in England, or even France or Germany, who were much more in the middle of the chaos than we were in Ireland.

Mind you, it's we ourselves that are living in the time of huge change in Ireland, not that it might seem that way now. But consider Ireland in the 1970s, 80s, even the early 90s compared to now, the huge societal changes that have taken place, along with the wider changes in terms of technology. I'd say the next century is going to be pretty interesting too.

Although beware the saying "May you live in interesting times". It's not meant kindly!

kneemos

Old photos are facinating.Dunno about old folk though.

Duggy747

Kid: "Grandpa Duggy, what was the war like?"

Me: "Horrifying............the horror.............so many casualties..........and such hate from both sides"

Kid: "But what.............what was it all over?"

Me: "Back in those days you had to decide which side you were on, at risk of being banished by your community....................Super Nintendo or Mega Drive................."

IamtheWalrus

Not a centenarian but I read this yesterday and it highlighted my dull, scripted and formulaic life.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/france-s-legion-d-honneur-for-second-world-war-veteran-sir-john-leslie-1.2423488

Samaris

Samaris wrote: »

But consider Ireland in the 1970s, 80s, even the early 90s compared to now, the huge societal changes that have taken place, along with the wider changes in terms of technology

Yeah, it seems to me that Ireland morphed into a very different country between say 1993 and 1998/9. I also believe that the changes to the world wrought by ubiquitous fast internet/smartphones/social media since, say, 2006, will go on to be considered one of those technological/social changes that is talked about in the history books like the wheel, fire, printing press: an absolute game-changer. We have went from having limited access to information or passive entertainment, to access to unlimited (in practical terms) information, unlimited passive entertainment choice and mostly without any cost. Information has become like air, it is constantly freely available for all.

NachoBusiness

The best part of Older Than Ireland was when the 104 year old bed bound man was recalling his first kiss.

I won't spoil it but suffice to say that it's worth watching for this alone. I suppose it'll be out on DVD by Christmas.

IamtheWalrus

NachoBusiness wrote: »

The best part of Older Than Ireland was when the 104 year old bed bound man was recalling his first kiss.

I won't spoil it but suffice to say that it's worth watching for this alone. I suppose it'll be out on DVD by Christmas.

Is this watchable on the interweb?

NachoBusiness

Not yet I don't think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjSBDE2dKm8

SEPT 23 1989

For a baby born today the next 100 years will be far more interesting because they will have information from around the world at their fingertips not just from newspapers and moving pictures like the previous centenarians

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

My mother made it to 97 and was always proud of having lived through the first airplane flight to the moon landing. Personally, I look back at all the change on my lifetime, so far, and marvel at having seen the development of the Jet Engine, Space Flight, Computers, Cashless transactions, the every day objects like Cars, Holidays abroad, mobile telephony etc that I have seen move from rarities or concepts and have adapted to.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

For a baby born today the next 100 years will be far more interesting because they will have information from around the world at their fingertips not just from newspapers and moving pictures like the previous centenarians

Which previous centenarians? Someone 100 next year will have all that and still have also seen not only massive technological change but political and social change too. All generations experience huge change. It's not the reserve of the future generations.

biko

They built this country




on rock'n'roll

Galwayguy35

The old man knew someone who was alive during the famine, not an easy time to have been around.

questionmark?

The only issue with living that long is that the young will make you feel old without even meaning it.

About a year ago a young family member who would have been 8 at the time, found a cassette tape.
Nephew: What's this?
Me: That's a tape.
Nephew: Oh....good.. I need tape to put on my hurley.
Me:..............................

questionmark?

questionmark? wrote: »

The only issue with living that long is that the young will make you feel old without even meaning it.

About a year ago a young family member who would have been 8 at the time, found a cassette tape.
Nephew: What's this?
Me: That's a tape.
Nephew: Oh....good.. I need tape to put on my hurley.
Me:..............................

Just doing the sum in my head: he was born in around 2007 .... bah. 2007 to me seems so, so recent and yet an 8 year old! Cassettes were well out of common use by about 2003, to pick a rough year, so I suppose it's understandable that he wouldn't know what it was!

Fleawuss

Meh. Too much obsession with the past in Ireland. Paul Brady got it right: still trying to reach the future through the past. More attention to those forced to emigrate and our collective failure to create a country where young people can afford to marry and have a decent life.