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a life less ordinary

This woman is about to become the longest-living Irish person ever

What a lady.

MI-kathleen-snavely-laurie-black Laurie Black Laurie Black

Updated at 9pm.

WHAT’S THE KEY to longevity?

We want to know Kathleen Hayes Rollins Snavely’s secrets – because she’s about to become the longest living person ever born on the island of Ireland.

The Clare-born woman, who turned 113 last month, will celebrate the news at midnight tonight.

2+Birth+certificate+for+Kathleen+Hayes+b+February+16+1902+Source+General+Registrars+Office+of+Birth+Marriages+and+Deaths+via+The+110+Club (1) Kathleen's birth certificate. Irish Central Irish Central

Kathleen lives in New York, but was born in Feakle, Co Clare.

Until now, the  longevity record (113 years and 37 days) has been held by Annie Isabella Scott, who was born in Northern Ireland.

FT5S-Kathleen-Snavely-Roxie-Rollins Kathleen and her first husband, Roxie. Irish Central Irish Central

As Irish Central details, Kathleen immigrated in 1921 to Syracuse in New York, where she met her future husband Roxie Rollins.

After he died in 1968, aged 66, Kathleen married her second husband, Jesse Clark Snavely Jr, in 1970. He has since passed away.

She lived in a residential tower in Syracuse, and in 2000 made a gift of $1 million to the Syracus University School of Management in memory of her first husband.

She celebrated her most recent birthday at Centres at St Camillus, where she now lives.

FT5S-kathleen-snavely-laurie-black-3 Laurie Black Laurie Black

The drink in front of her in the photo above? Her once-a-year Manhattan.

Asked by the Syracuse newspaper about her secrets for living a long life, Kathleen said she gets tired of the question.

I’ve got no secret. You live and you do it the best you can.

Read: These older Dublin women were asked about love. Their answers are hilarious and heart-melting.>

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