It isn’t something that fazes Ruby Druce when underlined the fact of her being the oldest living person in Ireland at 108. “Really? I must be,” she chuckles. “It will be 109 for me by year’s end.” She shrugs off and says, “When the Almighty decides it’s time to go, one must simply leave.”
Ruby, originally from Castlefinn, Co Donegal, displays little enthusiasm about sharing the secrets of a long life.
Though she was famously known to suggest hard work, regular strolls, and a daily dose of cod liver oil as her elixir for long life when she turned 100, she now seems more fascinated with narrating a rendition she had with Daniel O’Donnell and her butter-smuggling past times.
The most elderly of five offspring, she outlived her spouse Jim by 54 years and sadly saw two of her siblings succumb to the Spanish flu over a century ago.
Born on the eve of the New Year in 1915, a period preceding the Easter Rising, she has witnessed two World Wars and two life-threatening pandemics. When queried about the remedy her father, a skilled shoemaker named George Crawford, administered to guard her against the Spanish flu at her tender age of three, her response was simply “Poitín.”
This was a rare instance of alcohol in her life, as pointed out by her niece Carmel Harran, Ruby’s current cohabitant.
Carmel’s husband Martin revealed that Ruby was infected with Covid the previous year but she remained unaware of it until a routine check at the Letterkenny hospital, where she was admitted after a fall, discovered the disease.
Anyone who visits Ruby can enjoy a clip of her and O’Donnell singing ‘The Homes of Donegal’, captured when the singer visited to fulfil a promise he made on her birthday.
“Daniel usually phones on her birthday, and this time he promised to visit – but she was insistent that Majella accompanies him,” reveals Martin. “What a delightful lady,” Ruby adds spontaneously about Majella.
She laboured at Porters shirt factory in Castlefinn since she was 14 and only left after serving for over 40 years to tend to her ageing father.
In their early years, George would often join Ruby and her sibling Maggie on their cycling excursions of 11km to the Strabane cinema, where movie tickets were sold for sixpence each. Ruby’s most recent cinema visit was to see Downton Abbey in Letterkenny, an outing that took place when she was 105 years old.
Throughout the duration of World War II, Ruby had quite the adventure sneaking coffee and tea across the border from Strabane. She would later sneakily transport butter, stashing it away inside her apparel if a customs vehicle appeared to be incoming. She fondly recalls a humorous incident where she hid the contraband butter in a hedge and then had to spend an extended period tracking it down after the customs agents had left the area.
At the age of 108, Ruby relocated to her niece Carmel’s home, shared with her partner Martin. This move came after Ruby’s previous roommate, her niece Margo Butler, who she had lived with for the last ten years, was tragically diagnosed with cancer and passed away just seven weeks later.
Ruby was independent until the age of 98, routinely travelling a quarter-mile daily to have her meals, as remembered by Martin. However, after Ruby unfortunately suffered a bad fall and broke her hip, she had to move in with Margo in Letterkenny. During the lockdown, her only interaction with Carmel and Martin was to wave at them through the window.
The couple often chaff her about her encounter with saxophonist Jim Druce when she was just 14, but it wasn’t until 1956 that they decided to tie the knot, as she was previously tasked with taking care of her parents. Back in the day, Ruby relished rides to Bundoran on Jim’s Honda 50. However, in recent times, she has traveled further, for instance, visiting her niece Claire in Toronto when she was in her 80s.
She also recounts her trip to Lourdes, but was somewhat distressed at the sight of individuals undressing to take a bath. She insists she retained her vest, joking about her modesty. On Ruby’s remarkable 100th birthday, a special Mass was held for her, after which she was driven from Letterkenny to Castlefinn in a Rolls-Royce for a festive event at the local hall, where the entire community gathered to join the celebrations.
However, Ruby refrained from lavishly spending the €2,500 she received as a presidential gift, an honour bestowed upon all individuals who reach the age of 100.
Carmel disclosed that she had given all her possessions away. The guide dogs for the blind, Lifford hospital, and the cancer bus that ferries patients to Galway, all received donations. Carmel said the woman felt no need for money.
The young daughter of her distant niece, Ruby Shields and her brother, Liam, barged into the room, desiring raspberry-ripple ice cream. The eight-year-old girl was quick to highlight that she was exactly a century younger than Ruby.
Martin playfully suggested that God had seemingly forgotten about Ruby. Ruby senior, in a swift comeback, asserted she believed God had her in his thoughts. Carmel then replied, you’re not ready to depart yet.
Following the recent passing of Phyllis Furness, Ruby Druce has now become the oldest living person in Ireland. Phyllis passed away in Galway, just a few months post her 109th birthday celebration.