Alex Fegan is the director of Older Than Ireland, a heart-warming, wisdom- filled documentary about Ireland’s oldest citizens. The Castleknock, Dublin native, who previously directed The Irish Pub, interviewed 30 centenarians about their lives – and was surprised about the tales that emerged.
Fegan approached the project with an open mind. He was shocked as interviewees began offering incredible eye-witness accounts of seminal events from Irish history.
“One of the men told us that he was in Croke Park on Bloody Sunday. Myself and my camera guy were sitting there going ‘What?!’ He said, ‘It was the first time I saw a machine gun.’ The way he was describing it, as if it were yesterday, even though it happened in 1920, was just unbelievable. And this kept happening. Every one had a story about the Black and Tans, some kind of recollection of the Civil War. We could have made a story just about that.”
What’s really surprising about the centenarians is their open- mindedness and tolerance to societal developments that must seem so foreign to their upbringing. On issues such as same-sex marriage and pre-marital sex, their attitudes are far more accepting than one might expect.
“We weren’t trying to shy away from anything tricky or edgy, it was actually lovely to see these accepting anecdotes unfold. One woman began speaking about same-sex marriage, we weren’t sure where that was going to go, but she ends up saying ‘But sure if they love each other!’ Which says a lot about the spirit of the Irish people, and shows that just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re overly dogmatic or conservative.”
What’s also delightful to see is the wry, mischievous sense of humour that many of the centenarians share; a humour that’s dry and honest, and extremely self-aware. When asked how they’ve lived to such a ripe age, the interviewees don’t attempt to dole out hackneyed advice or question the meaning of it all – in fact, they seem to find their age mere chance.
“Kathleen Snavely, she has no idea why she’s still here!” laughs Fegan. “Sure when she turned 100, she gave away pretty much all of her money, because she thought she wasn’t going to be around much longer. She lived for another 13 years! She was sharing a room with another lady. She had a great sense of humour about it. Bessie Nolan’s thoughts were just ‘I think God just forgot all about me!’”
For older people looking back over their lives, it’s personal memories rather than political milestones at the forefront of their thoughts. From first memories to first loves and great loss, the private stories of these people unfold slowly and poignantly, with often devastating honesty. It evokes a deep sense of empathy, humanity and curiosity about the stories yet untold by older people in our own lives.
“I think that’s the hope of the film. Even if one person decides to visit their grandparent or an old neighbour and ask ‘Tell us about your first pair of shoes’ or ‘What is your first memory?’ it’d be all worthwhile. Because if there was one commonality among the 30 people, it was that they all loved talking. They appreciated people taking an interest in what they have to say. I think this film definitely did change the crew in that way. We’ve definitely opened our heart to recognising the humanity in everyone, and listening to people who too often weren’t listened to.”