What a fantastic family…
Guinness World Records has recognised an Irish family for having the longest-living siblings in the world.
The Clarke family, from Loughrea in Co. Galway, have been credited as the family to have the most siblings to reach the age of 100.
Joseph, Charles, Patrick and James Clarke, along with their sister Margaret Fanning née Clarke, have accumulated a whopping 506 years between them.
That’s OVER HALF A MILLENNIUM.
We’re no scientists, but we’re pretty sure that’s almost as many collective years as the Rolling Stones. Almost.
The remarkable feat was achieved on Margaret’s 100th birthday on 30 May 2014, and Margaret’s son, Joe Fanning, spent four, hard-working months gathering photographs, records and compiling a 70-page document that proved their achievement and Guinness World Records made it official this month.
Interestingly, their mother Margaret had also reached the centenary mark, so the family originally thought they had the record in the bag back in 2006, but they were told it only counted for siblings.
TELL US THE SECRET TO ETERNAL LIFE. So what is the secret behind longevity?
Speaking to The Irish Times, Joe explained the siblings “had this great patience and an ability to communicate with you. They would always make you feel at home, their door was always open and there was tea in the pot on the table.”
Additionally, speaking at her own 100th birthday last year, Margaret, who never smoked or drank, said “never give out. You never give out about anybody or speak badly about anybody; you speak nicely about everyone.”
What a brilliant piece of advice. We feel better already.
Pic via The Telegraph and hat-tip to The Irish Times.
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