Irish woman rings in the new year by celebrating milestone 108th birthday

DONEGAL'S oldest citizen, the remarkable Ruby Druce, toasted her latest big birthday on New Year’s Eve.

Still hale and hearty, the Castlefin-born Ruby is celebrating her 108th birthday.

Ruby is the fourth oldest living person in Ireland and the oldest in Donegal.

Born on December 31, 1915, Ruby is now living with her niece Margo Butler in Letterkenny, who described her aunt as ‘a kind-hearted lady with a heart of gold’.

“We have some good laughs together and she is as much company for me as I am for her,” Margo said.

Ruby Druce was born the daughter of George Crawford and Elizabeth (née McBride), and credits ‘walking, hard work and a daily cod liver oil capsule’ for her amazing life.

Ruby still enjoys her visits back to Castlefin and McGlynn’s Restaurant. In 2022, Ruby performed the official switch-on of the Christmas lights in her hometown.

Ruby is a pioneer all her life but, aged three, was given poitín when she contracted the Spanish flu in 1918 following the deaths of her brother James and sister Mary Elizabeth.

Ruby - who worked in Porter’s Shirt Factory for 48 years - married James Druce in 1956 and her husband sadly passed away 14 years later.

As she gets ready to blow out the candles again, Ruby is said to be ‘all dolled up waiting for her gang of visitors to start calling’.