A FROME resident, who is celebrating his 101st birthday on Saturday, has shared his secret for living a long life; ‘cooking, keeping active and taking each day as it comes.’
Patrick Macken (known as Paddy) was born on 21st January 1922 and lived in County Mayo, West Ireland, before moving to England in August 1945, living in Knowle and Whitchurch in Bristol.
Paddy and his childhood sweetheart, Irene, were married on 7th June 1950 in Ireland. The couple had known each other since they were five years old and went to the same school in County Mayo. They had three children. Paddy said, “I have got a big family now. I can’t remember how many great grand-children and grand-children I’ve got!”
The family moved to Frome in 1994 and Irene died in 2002.
Reflecting on his long life and career, Paddy said, “I have just lived one day at a time. I never let anything really get me down. I was always a determined sort of person; ordinary things keep me going like trying to stay alive and to stay alive I’ve got to eat and I’ve got to cook. I still do all my own cooking; I love making Irish stew.
“When I was working as an overhead linesman, I spent most of my time in the country fixing pylons between Scotland, England and Wales. I have always worked in the steelworks. I finished up in Bristol for 40-years where I was in charge for eight years. At that time things were changing and I was getting a bit stressed. My daughter used to come and visit me she said ‘Dad, there’s something getting you down and you shouldn’t be doing this if it’s affecting you.’ I resigned from my job in 1992.
“It was a dangerous job we had and we got paid six pence an hour. I remember an incident working near Gloucester when a Red Arrow hit one of the wires, there were flashes all over the place and we had to deal with it and break some safety rules. It was terrifying. I also remember seeing a WW2 bomber plane crash in a field near Oxford and two men on two separate occasions fall from pylons. It was a dangerous job.
“The views of the country are amazing when you are 400 or 500 feet in the air. The blokes I worked with would all be complaining but I would look around and say to them ‘I don’t know what you are complaining about’ people pay big money for views like these and we are getting paid for it!”
On moving to Frome, nearly 30 years ago, Paddy volunteered as secretary at the Welshmill allotments for 10 years, helping to maintain and manage the area and waiting list. He only gave up his own allotment around five years ago.
Paddy enjoys visiting Frome Library every day. He said, “It means an awful lot to me to go down to the library and read the newspapers. I still go every day now and read. They are all very good to me down there, I travel down on my scooter.
“My only health complaints are deafness and bad hips. I can’t get around without my zimmer frame and I have to use the scooter. Up until aged 97 or 98 years old, I was driving around in my car.”
On Paddy’s 100th birthday last year, he received telegrams from the Queen, the Pope and the Taoiseach (prime minister) of Ireland, which he displays on his living room wall.
Reflecting on the changes he has seen during his long life, Paddy said, “I have seen the world completely change. I do think a lot about what the world is going to be like in another 50 years’ time and what it will be like for my great-great-grandchildren.”
As his 101st birthday approaches, Paddy said, “I have told my family, I don’t want or need anything for my birthday. I just want to be with them. I have and have had everything in life I need.”
