Ireland's oldest person has died at her home in Co Donegal.
Ruby Druce, who was 109 years old, died peacefully on Thursday evening at her niece Carmel's home in Castlefinn.
Born in 1915, Mrs Druce lived life to the full and even had a party with cake for her 109th birthday on New Year's Eve last.
She became known as Ireland's oldest living person last August following the passing of Galway woman Phyllis Furness, who was also aged 109.
However, Ruby never liked to be reminded of her increasing years and shrugged off any mention of it.
A non-smoker and teetotaller, she only ever had one sip of poitín and that was for medicinal purposes when she had a bad cold.
Mrs Druce lived through two World Wars and two pandemics, even contracting the Spanish flu and in 2023, Covid.
The eldest of five children, she was born Ruby Crawford to mother and father Elizabeth and George.
She worked from the age of just 14 years at Porter's Shirt Factory where she spent 48 years.
She married Jim Druce in 1956, but Jim sadly passed away 14 years later.
Ruby had many loves in her life outside of her family and singer Daniel O'Donnell was one of them.
She was delighted when Daniel and wife Majella paid her a surprise visit in May last year to check in on her.
Ruby was the proud holder of no less than nine Presidential medals which she loved to show off to visitors.
Each year her home would be flooded with birthday cards and well-wishers.
In 2019, Ruby decided she would like to go to the cinema at the ripe of age of 103 years to see Downton Abbey.
It marked a gap of almost 80 years since she had been to the cinema as she recalled last cycling to the cinema in 1944.
Never one to turn down an invitation, Ruby obliged by performing the official switch-on of the Castlefinn Christmas lights in 2022.
Last year Ruby also lost her beloved niece, Margo Butler, who had cared for her in Letterkenny for 10 years.
Following Margo's passing, Ruby moved back to Castlefinn to live with her niece Carmel Martin.
Ruby is survived by a wide circle of nieces, one nephew, grand nieces and nephews and great grand nieces and nephews.
Predecessed by her parents George and Lizzie, husband Jim, brothers Geordie and James, sisters Maggie and Molly, her niece Margo and nephew Tony.
She is survived by her nieces Carmel and Claire, and nephew Seamus and extended family and very close friends.
Her funeral will take place on Sunday, March 23rd, at 12pm in St. Mary’s Church, Castlefinn, followed by interment in the adjoining cemetery.
