From the archives: Mayo man died at remarkable age of 113

By Tom Gillespie

ON Saturday, December 27, 1904, two remarkable deaths occurred close to Castlebar, The Connaught Telegraph reported on January 2, 1904.

At Rockfield, about four miles from the town, James Conway, a farmer, died at the extraordinary age of 113 years.

Born in 1790, he distinctly recalled the consternation caused by the landing of General Humbert at Killala in 1798, although he was only eight years old at the time.

He often told since how a number of young men, whose names he could not relate, flocked to the standard of brave Humbert.

Between the rising of ’98 and the attempted rising in ’48 he was foreman of a party who made the road across Islandeady Lake to join the island with the mainland.

He was a staunch member of the Young Ireland Party, although when the movement of ’67 was started he was then aged 77 years.

His sound and practical advice was looked upon as the advice of a man who had lived through three remarkable attempts to free Ireland - the three most remarkable insurrections in the history of Ireland.

During the stormy times of ’78, ’80 and ’81 he followed everything that was going on with the interest of a man of 40 years of age.

He was laid to rest in the historic old burial ground of Islandeady and his funeral was followed by old men who looked to him for advice when they were but boys and he over the age that they were on the day of his interment. He possessed all his faculties up to the week before his death.

His father lived to the age of 126, and his grandfather 130 years.

A man named Cunningham from Burren Bridge died on the same day, also over the century.