109 year old "marvellous" Maude shares recipe for long life and happiness

By Q Radio news

Marvellous Maud Nicholl, now in her 110th year and the oldest person in Northern Ireland, has revealed laughter really is the best medicine.

Speaking to Q Radio as she celebrated her 109th birthday, Maud, who lives on her own and can still move around the house, said: "I like to keep people happy; give them a laugh; give them a joke".

Relaxing in her home at Woodgreen near Ballymena, on Tuesday evening, Maud had earlier been feted at a party at the town's Tullyglass Hotel.

Guests included the Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council, Councillor Lindsay Millar.

Maud, who never married, had previously revealed that the secret to her long life was: "No smoking, no drinking and ...no men!"

Sitting in her living room Maud said she had a "lovely" birthday which had gone "powerful well".

Maud said the temperatures on her birthday were some of the hottest she could remember.

"It was a great day to be at the Tullyglass Hotel," she said.

She had tucked into an Afternoon Tea and was presented with a cake and birthday cards including one from The Queen.

Maud's other cards which featured the number 109 were so unusual they had to be specially made with the numbers stuck on.

Maud has celebrated her birthday in recent years at the Tullyglass Hotel which is a fitting location for she spent many years of her life living in the nearby Dans Road area of Ballymena and still has fond memories of that area.

"It is a lovely area for a walk and there are great views of the countryside," she said today.

Maud, who now relies on a hearing aid, has rarely been to the doctor.

Up until recent years she had been able to walk up and down the stairs in her home unaided.

She can still move around the ground floor of her end-of-terrace house.

Maud was born in 1909 has seen five British monarchs and two world wars.

Mayor Lindsay Millar presented Maud with a bunch of flowers and a card.

Councillor Millar said: “She is an inspirational woman and it was a privilege to spend time in her company this afternoon and pass on the best wishes of everybody in Mid and East Antrim.

“It is fantastic that Maud still lives alone and loves having her independence.

“Not only is Maud one of our oldest residents, she is also one of our most popular, as evidenced by the turnout at her party.

“I wish her many happy returns.”