Project to revive tradition of honouring people who reach the age of 100

The ‘Dublin City Centenarians Project’ was originally started in the 1990s and used to compliment the President’s national recognition of centenarians. It’s unclear as to why the tradition ended. 

Under the old system, people who qualified and their immediate family were invited to the Mansion House for a reception, where they would sign a ledger in which their name had been inscribed by a calligrapher. The Lord Mayor would then present them with a beautifully framed scroll. 

For those not able to attend, the framed scrolls were brought to them where they were living, be that at home or in a nursing home etc, by the Lord Mayor or someone on behalf of the Lord Mayor.

The original idea for the project was conceived by Dublin City Council Senior Housing Welfare Officer Frank Goodwin, who is now retired and in his 80s. Frank would love to see the award reinstated to celebrate the city’s centenarians. The Council’s Community Development Team will be working to reinstate the tradition along with the Lord Mayor. 

“I am delighted to be reviving this lovely tradition,” said the Lord Mayor of Dublin Emma Blain. “I will be hosting an event in the Mansion House on June 26th, my final week in office, to honour our centenarians. So, if you know anyone living in Dublin who is 100 years old or over, please drop a mail to [email protected]. Hopefully we can make this an annual event again going forward. It’s so important that we take care of and honour our older citizens. People who have reached the age of 100 have seen so much and have a wealth of life experience to teach the rest of us.”