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Michael J. O’Connor has survived the Spanish Flu, the Irish Civil War, two World Wars, and is now eagerly awaiting his Covid-19 vaccination.
The 107-year-old lives at his home in Muckross, Co Kerry, and is one of the oldest people in Ireland.
O’Connor is also one of the oldest survivors of the last major pandemic to hit Europe, the Spanish flu, which he contracted as a child.
He remembers it vividly and was not expected to survive beyond six years. Although he overcame the disease, tragically, his mother did not.
“It was double pneumonia, both lungs were infected. I could see my family cry, I was dying. I got over it, but not mom.”
“The secrets of a long life? Be honest in your dealings with others and try to prevent anyone from doing wrong.”
Born in Glencar, Kerry in 1913, Michael was five when the First World War ended.
“I remember there was a shortage of everything. My parents came home with flour, delighted.
“But when they made a loaf of bread, it was absolute poison. Whatever it was, it wasn’t flour.”
He recalled “families against families” after the Irish Civil War. “Much bitterness prevailed.”
He said the Blacks and Tans gave us “the fear of God.” One visit from them was a “terrifying experience.”
During World War II, O’Connor worked as a radio operator and his ship was torpedoed in 1942.
“The entire Atlantic seemed to rise into the air. But we didn’t lose any lives.”
He worked in aviation for the rest of the war.
O’Connor retired in 1980. His nightly routine includes a glass of whiskey and milk.
“The secrets of a long life? Be honest in your dealings with others and try to prevent anyone from doing evil.”
He expects to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in February, before his 108th birthday in October.
“I’ll roll up my sleeves and wash my hands,” she told RTÉ Today with Claire Byrne.
Listen to the full interview with Michael J O’Connor here.
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