Clodagh Finn: Take inspiration from Mary Harper's solo Atlantic voyage at the age of 79

Just thinking about the indomitable spirit of Mary Harper is a balm in these difficult times — and it's a reminder that age is only a number and the human spirit can be unquenchable

'You sure take a lot of snaps,’ was Mary Harper’s pithy comment to Des Barry of the ‘Irish Examiner’ and other media at Crookhaven Co Cork in August 1994 where she landed after her solo voyage. Picture: Des Barry

Whenever I need to be reminded that the human spirit can be unquenchable, I think of Mary Harper. She was 79 when she sailed solo from Nova Scotia to Cork in 1994, setting a world record in the process.

I met her there on August 10, one of a media posse fascinated by this slight woman who thought nothing of her achievement. She answered all of our questions as she leaned against an enormous buoy at one end of Crookhaven Harbour. That gave a kind of bounce to everything she said.