Ageing with attitude: 103-year-old Bessie Nolan on the secret to staying young at heart

By 2030, one in six people worldwide will be aged 60 and over. Far from being over the hill, this group represents a population of vibrant people, living life to the full, and in some cases exceeding physical goals of those half their age

Bessie Nolan lived to be 106. She enjoyed daily cigarettes, her style, and walking into town to meet friends.  Picture: Alex Fagen

Bessie Nolan was 103 years old, enjoyed a couple of Superkings cigarettes a day and putting on the style to walk into town regularly to meet her friends. And she joked: “I think God forgot all about me. I’m not on the [death] register”.

The fun-loving Dubliner featured in a documentary called Older Than Ireland and was perfect subject matter for the weekly page in Feelgood titled Ageing With Attitude, which ran for over four years, from when I first began the column in 2014.