• Remove ads on the forum by becoming a donating member. More here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Oldest pilgrim dies at age 102

sillydoll

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2002 CF: 2004 from Paris: 2006 VF: 2007 CF: 2009 Aragones, Ingles, Finisterre: 2011 X 2 on CF: 2013 'Caracoles': 2014 CF and Ingles 'Caracoles":2015 Logrono-Burgos (Hospitalero San Anton): 2016 La Douay to Aosta/San Gimignano to Rome:
Ireland surely breed them tough!

Galway is mourning the loss of one of its most remarkable citizens after former army captain and NUIG lecturer Alasdar MacCana passed away last week. He would have been 102 years old on Tuesday.

The Oughterard centenarian earned acclaim last year when completed a Certificate in Computing at Moycullen VEC at the age of 101 with a view to starting his own business.

He remained physically adroit and could regularly be seen walking from his home at Portacarron into the village of Oughterard. He travelled to Northern Spain with his son to complete the 100-mile Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage at the age of 97, covering ten miles a day over ten days. He recently turned his attention to studying Ancient Greek before he died at his home in Portacarron, Oughterard last Monday.

Alasdar had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and completed a computer course last year driven by an ambition to start his own business as an educational adviser. He had also started to learn Ancient Greek.

Described as a spiritual man of deep faith, Alasdar attributed his remarkable longevity to “everything in moderation” and habitually enjoyed cigars, a glass of red wine before dinner and a glass of whiskey before bed.
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
Sillydoll,

Thank you for this very inspirational post!

They certainly do breed them tough in Ireland. My last supervisor was a U.S. Marine born in Ireland, and in Nov '09 he ran the JFK 50 miler in about 8 1/2 hours at the age of 43 and several months before that he did a 39 mile run in Ireland. I've emailed him the link to this posting, hoping to get him interested in the Camino.

Palma
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
It's amazing the wide variety of folks that walk the Way and the many reasons they do.

Here is a man (and I'm sure there are many women) that never "retire", but keep on growing, sharing and continue to dream and, oft times, fulfill those dreams.

A friend in the insurance business, an acquaintance really, said that, as far as policy holders go...they encourage folks to remain active as long as possible. The reason: stats indicate that if an individual "completely" retires (at whatever age)...they tend to die within five years.

Keep planning for your future, keep a clear eye on that plan...and you will have a long future!

Capt Alasdar MacCana..God keep you!

Arn
 
A life well-lived to the very end!

lynne
 
sillydoll said:
Ireland surely breed them tough!

Described as a spiritual man of deep faith, Alasdar attributed his remarkable longevity to “everything in moderation” and habitually enjoyed cigars, a glass of red wine before dinner and a glass of whiskey before bed.

Beware when an Irishman uses this partial quote as it might lead you to suppose the quoter is advocating caution, prudence and restraint......au contraire Wilde's full text, of which Captain MacCana was most certainly aware, is far the more subversive "Everything in moderation including moderation"!
As a man who lived life to the full and who was beloved father of eight children I'd wager that Captain MacCana was quoting Oscar with tongue firmly in cheek.
Nell
 
Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
I almost missed this and am so glad I didn't.
Perhaps sainthood should be redefined in terms of this man's amazing contribution to his own life. The Camino in one's 90's. New skills in one's hundreds even with the view to staring a new career. Learning Greek.
Alasdar MacCana you have become my new hero. What a way to say thank you for the gift of life!
Tracy
 

Most read last week in this forum

I am on CF right now and just stopped in Os Arroxos Crispeta bar in Trabadelo. A Spanish pilgrim had exactly the same order as me and he paid 6.50 euro and I was charged 10.00 euro!!! It is not...
My son is planning to do the Camino this autumn. He loves skateboarding (not the breakneck type - just for transport) and would like to take his skateboard. I did the Camino Frances seven years...
Hola, todos. It seems entirely likely this has been asked before, but I haven't been able to find any discussion. If (when!) one decides to have a day off from walking, is it possible to stay in...
Hi we will be in Pamplona on 28th July. We are Irish mostly from Armagh and would like to know where best to watch the all ireland gaa football final. Any Galway pilgrims walking too. Would...
In case you want to recreate this cake, here is an easy (and gluten-free) recipe, from a fairly well-known food maven. She's American but has lived and worked in Spain for a number of years...
Hi Camino pilgrims Thank you for having me on your forum. I will be travelling the Camino again this September,my second trip, and was wondering if it is acceptable to stay in the hostels and...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Similar threads

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top