Galway Bay fm newsroom - A woman who was understood to be the oldest living Irish person has passed away in London this week at the age of 109.
Bridget McMorrow - formerly Bridget Mannion - was from Errislannan in Ballyconneely in Connemara.
Bridget Mannion was born in Errislannan near Ballyconneely in July of 1913; when the final call came just before this Christmas of 2022, Bridget was 109.
Her family, after doing some research, believe that she was probably the oldest Irish emigrant, and the oldest Irish-born person, prior to her passing on Thursday of this week.
She had lived in London since her teens but she often visited her native home in Connemara in the years gone by. Those who knew her best say she never lost her native accent or ways of talking.
She had a great recall and memory up to the end of her life including a clear picture in her head of the day Alcock and Brown landed their plane a few miles from her home in June 1919.
She was probably the last person with a first-hand memory of that epic event – the first-ever transatlantic flight.
Bridget McMorrow-Mannion leaves her a son and a daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and relatives in Ballyconneely where she was born 109 years ago.
Photo - Bridget McMorrow celebrating her 107th birthday in July 2020
