Philip Lecane

In the latest episode, 97-year old Philip Lecane, of Cork City, says he stopped the ageing clock when he was 21. He is certainly one of the most energetic, inquisitive and youthful nonagenarians on the planet. He talks of how his forebears arrived in Cork from Jersey and took command of the city's fire brigade. He ran the family’s newsagent’s shop, established in a time when newspapers were the only real source of public news. With an impeccable memory for detail, Philip recalls how the forward-thinking Sister Benedict taught him to build castles with beach sand in the classroom, and he discusses the brilliantly named Sister Santy Claus, and the priest who counselled mourning widows to wear ‘rejoicing' red instead of sombre black. 

Music by Liam Mulvaney