0:00:02 > 0:00:07Collegelands, a quiet village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland
0:00:07 > 0:00:09is, to the outside eye, pretty unremarkable.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Surrounded by these rolling orchards for which this part of the world is
0:00:18 > 0:00:22famous, there are only 42 family names.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26But in amongst these apple trees, one family has really blossomed.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47A County Armagh family are celebrating a birthday party
0:00:47 > 0:00:48with a difference today.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52The Donnelly family were marking one member's 90th, but in total,
0:00:52 > 0:00:57the 14 surviving siblings' ages come to 1,117 years,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01making them, they believe, the oldest living siblings in the world.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07There were 16 Donnelly children in total.
0:01:08 > 0:01:1011 boys and five girls.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Of the remaining 14, Austin, the youngest at 70, and a twin,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20was the first to realise they may be an extraordinary family.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I just rung around and checked the date of birth
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and we are just short of 1,200 years between us.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And, I don't know, I think that we have learned a lot
0:01:31 > 0:01:33in 1,200 years of life.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Ireland has a history of large families.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42My own dad was one of 14 brothers and sisters,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and I grew up with stories of how they were all brought up together
0:01:45 > 0:01:46under one roof.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51The 16 Donnellys must have a story to tell,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53and also some advice for the rest of us.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01The idea that this large family may be the oldest in the world is
0:02:01 > 0:02:04fascinating to me, because I am obsessed with longevity.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05I think our generation are,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07and we look towards how we can extend life
0:02:07 > 0:02:10and make our lives better and how we can stay healthier.
0:02:13 > 0:02:14So I just want to know how they have done it.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Is there a magic secret? Is it where they live?
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Is it what they eat? Is it a social thing?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Is it because they're not lonely?
0:02:27 > 0:02:29I have no idea what they all have in common,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33or even if it is a common thread that binds them,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36or it's just sheer luck.
0:02:41 > 0:02:48There are 14 of us, and all as healthy as we were,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53I'd say 50s and 60s, and some even 20-year-olds that haven't changed.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54We don't change.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57We're in the land of youth.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Who knew the land of youth was a tiny corner of Northern Ireland?
0:03:01 > 0:03:03So, what is the secret?
0:03:03 > 0:03:07There was always plenty of work.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10We are going to replace the crankshaft in this engine here.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I think caring about one another.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14The drink was never seen amongst us at all.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I would attend the game four or five nights a week.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19There was never a fat Donnelly reared.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21When you are young, if you get good food,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24then it's built into your bones and it's built into you.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26That is what will give you longevity.
0:03:28 > 0:03:3270-year-old Austin is convinced he and his brothers and sisters
0:03:32 > 0:03:36will claim the world record for the oldest group of living siblings.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39In a life experience, what must we have between us?
0:03:39 > 0:03:40Jesus was here 2,000 years ago.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42We were here the half of that.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44That must be some kind of a record.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Done some research. The nearest family I could find
0:03:48 > 0:03:50was 200 or 300 years less. Aye, well, this is interesting.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56There had been some of them in Coventry, I think,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58and they were around a thousand years.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00But then some of them had died.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03As the brothers in Coventry know only too well,
0:04:03 > 0:04:04time waits for no man.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10It's important for us to get this Guinness world record registered.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15If we lose one of my family, that takes almost 100 years off it.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18One of the elder brothers then, when it was mentioned earlier,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22he says it's all right, but he says when we start going,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24he says, you may keep on your good suits.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Collegelands graveyard.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42If you are born in the village,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45it's fairly certain this is where you will be buried.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Deep into an Irish winter, Austin,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00who first contemplated a world record, was laid to rest.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Austin and I were the twins.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09We shared the same pram together.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11We grew up together.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14And Mammy dressed us just the same when she was out walking with us.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Austin and I were two, and everyone else was one.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23So if anybody tackled us, they were tackling the two of us.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28The siblings who once numbered 16 are now 13.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33But through the grief, Leo thinks a world record
0:05:33 > 0:05:35is still within their reach.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Now that Austin is gone, the baton has been handed to myself
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and Terry and we are going to do this.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47And we will be in the Guinness Book Of Records as the oldest family
0:05:47 > 0:05:48in the world.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51The Donnelly family from Collegelands.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56Having taken the baton from Austin,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00Terry and Leo must piece together long forgotten family documents
0:06:00 > 0:06:02in order to apply for the world record.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08I believe the oldest family in the world, somewhere around 1,000.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Well, I think we could beat that, Terry.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- What do you think?- Well, that is to be seen.- Start counting.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19So you have Brian typed here, Terry.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21So, what age is Brian, Terry?
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Hello. I think I have a Guinness World Record.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Mummy was the youngest of 11 and her oldest brother died at 99 years of
0:06:38 > 0:06:41age. And then Mummy died at 94 years of age.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And, in between, the other ones all lived long lives.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47James Patrick. That's Seamus.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48That's Seamus.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56I know they need birth certificates, they need photographs,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58they need different bits of paper.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02There's a birth certificate.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03That is William Anthony. That's Tony's.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It seems the Donnellys aren't the only ones hoping to be recognised
0:07:11 > 0:07:12for their longevity.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16The world's oldest family have lived until a grand old age.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Originally, there were 16, and they are now down to 12.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22We're absolutely beating them hands down.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24We are 40 years ahead of them.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It's nice to be part of a big family.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30You feel you have someone to call on if ever you are in trouble
0:07:30 > 0:07:31or in need.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34Leo is looking for this.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39At last, I've got it.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Rosie, and Eileen, and Peter.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Sean is the eldest in the family, Terry.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Five boys below me and then her and then four boys below her.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- And there was...- Ten below me.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Mairead, Maureen, Tony, Terry...
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I've said Tony twice.
0:08:09 > 0:08:1189 years old!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13You do not look 89, Eileen.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Well, I feel it!
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Kathleen, Colm and myself.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28What Austin has started, I do not know where we're going to stop.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30This is definitely going to be a Guinness book of records.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40This is College Hall, the big house,
0:08:40 > 0:08:42the grandest residence in the village.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48It was a house that was fit for 18, and Leo still lives here today.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54This is the main room in College Hall here.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Right.- This is where all the parties were.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Daddy came down in 1921 to buy a churn, and before Daddy went home,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04he had the deeds of the place in his back pocket.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09This was 1921, and Daddy was married in 1923.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12And the first baby, Sean, was born in 1925.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Well, he obviously had big plans when he bought a place like this
0:09:15 > 0:09:16- as a single man.- It looked like it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- Well, he did a good job of filling it up, didn't he?- Absolutely!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Thankfully no TVs and no electric!
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Is that what it was?
0:09:23 > 0:09:27So the entertainment happened the old-fashioned way.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28I would say so.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33This is the master bedroom here.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35It was the master bedroom for Daddy and Mummy.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38This is where all the babies were conceived and born.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39Except for the few at the bottom.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40Right. And what is the range?
0:09:40 > 0:09:43So it, like, every year, one a year?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I'd say every year, there had been a baby every year.
0:09:48 > 0:09:5016 children.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Did your mother have any mechanisms,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57anything that she used to cope with the general craziness?
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Well, in later days, I found out that she liked a wee tipple
0:10:02 > 0:10:05of Buckfast to get her energy back.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Or tonic wine or some of those things.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Mrs Donnelly may have used tonic wine for medicinal purposes,
0:10:12 > 0:10:14but alcohol was rarely seen amongst the family.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18There is not a single drinker in this family.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24And you think that is part of the reason why you have all
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- lived so long?- It would certainly help.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35So, it is a big house, but 16 bodies is a lot to contain.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Absolutely.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41I mean, there was five girls on this side and 11 boys on this side.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45A lot of bodies. And a lot of bodies in the bathroom at the one time.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Somebody would be washing themselves in the bath and others in the sink,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50but you got it done anyway.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51- You just had to, didn't you? - We had to do it.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Like most families in Collegelands, the Donnellys were of farming stock.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04As far as we can see way down, if you can see a bank rising a wee bit,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05there is a field on the far side of it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10The land on the way there, there is over 100 acres of it.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12And yet, they were hard times.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15You know, land was cheap but money was scarce.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20As soon as the Donnelly kids were deemed old enough,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22they worked the family land.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24It's something they are still doing today.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The job we need to do here is going to take you a couple of weeks.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I don't know if I have that long.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36To pull all of these... To pull all of the fruit...
0:11:36 > 0:11:4080-year-old Seamus is still farming and showing no signs
0:11:40 > 0:11:41of slowing down.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42You will always find on a farm,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45you'll always find a thousand jobs to do.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- Yeah.- And there is always 100 jobs that's never done.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Are you are not afraid of hard work?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I love it. That's what keeps you fit.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- Is that it?- It keeps the wee muscles in your arm here.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- Yeah. Show me again.- Oh, there is not many now, but...
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- They are all right.- It helps to build them up.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- Hey, look at this bee here. Do you see the bee?- Yeah.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08That should turn into the strawberries.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10That's what his job is. And he's doing it.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- You see the way he is going right round?- Yeah.- The stamen there.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15That will be a beautiful red strawberry when he leaves.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19A lot of men now who are over 80
0:12:19 > 0:12:22might be thinking they'll kick their feet up
0:12:22 > 0:12:24and watch a bit of golf on telly and take it easy.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26Have you any inclination towards...?
0:12:26 > 0:12:32I find that my friends that have retired, a day and they are gone.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Yeah. So they retire and then they give up?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38They just seem to fade away.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40- Right.- Whereas if you do this, if you are doing something
0:12:40 > 0:12:43to keep your brain going and something to keep your muscles
0:12:43 > 0:12:46going, something to give you an appetite everyday,
0:12:46 > 0:12:47it seems to keep you...
0:12:47 > 0:12:51It just keeps you going.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Even though Seamus kept himself busy on the farm,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57he still found time to raise a large family of his own.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59You have 11 children.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01You weren't put off having a big family
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- by being from one, were you not? - No. Not really, no.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I don't know why. It just happened.
0:13:07 > 0:13:13- It just happened? Right. - It was a good craic.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Seamus will never retire because he's not interested.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19The thing is, I don't think he is working because he thinks
0:13:19 > 0:13:20that's good for his health.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I think he just doesn't imagine himself in any other way.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27And like he said, he has seen people around him that have retired and who
0:13:27 > 0:13:32have died. And so, for him, it's just, it is not an option.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37All the Donnellys are still working in some capacity.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38It is just what they are used to.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43One of the big reasons for the success of this family
0:13:43 > 0:13:46is the fact we are playing together, we work together,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50we enjoy the successes together and fix the failures.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54As the workload on the land increased,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58the family invested in the very first tractor in the county.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00When we got a tractor, nobody could drive them.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04We could all go frontwards, the same as riding a horse,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06sitting on its back.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Our horse died.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10We went for a mechanical horse.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19I can remember the first day it came home and the neighbours were all
0:14:19 > 0:14:22gathered round. Nine or ten of the neighbours
0:14:22 > 0:14:25came round to see this new tractor.
0:14:25 > 0:14:30They said, "That tractor will destroy your ground.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32"The wheels will destroy your ground."
0:14:32 > 0:14:33They said, "You will be going back to the horse."
0:14:35 > 0:14:37They would never return to the horse,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and in late 1930s County Armagh,
0:14:39 > 0:14:43it was a serious case of keeping up with the Donnellys.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Well, if you were married to a good-looking girl
0:14:45 > 0:14:50and she buys a lovely dress, and her neighbour has more money,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and she buys a better one, does she be happy?
0:14:54 > 0:14:55Do know what I'm saying now?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- I hear you.- Aye. Wee bit jealous.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02As the oldest son, Sean was always destined to work the family land.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05But world events would keep him and the new Ford Ferguson
0:15:05 > 0:15:07in constant demand.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- NEWSREEL:- Northern Ireland is making a superb war effort.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14In 1940, she plans to place a quarter of a million more
0:15:14 > 0:15:16acres under the plough for food production.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20As war took a grip of continental Europe,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and Sean ploughed to aid the war effort,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26the population of Collegelands, and surrounding areas,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28doubled with foreign soldiers.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Stationed close to College Hall was a troop of Belgians.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36There was always four or five of them come to our house
0:15:36 > 0:15:38and come in and had a cup of tea.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43But it wasn't just tea and conversation the Belgians
0:15:43 > 0:15:44were interested in.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48I would say now they had their eyes on some of the female members
0:15:48 > 0:15:49of the family all right.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Maureen Donnelly, the eldest Donnelly girl,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56caught the roving eye of one young Belgian soldier.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01We were playing Camogie in the field and next thing,
0:16:01 > 0:16:06the ball came shooting past me and I went to get it,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and there was this fella sitting, you know, in the side of the hedge.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13And I said, "J'vous aime," to him.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15What does "J'vous aime" mean?
0:16:15 > 0:16:16- I'm your friend.- OK.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22So he didn't, didn't respond and just looked and see me there.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24And off he went.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Despite being unaware at the time, Maureen had made a major impression
0:16:28 > 0:16:31on a shy young Belgian soldier called Jean.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35So the next time you saw him was on this lane.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38I don't know whether he had been waiting or what.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43But he just stood up and said, asked me, "Would you marry me?"
0:16:43 > 0:16:45I just said, "I don't understand what you mean."
0:16:45 > 0:16:46But you did understand.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50I certainly did.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Despite an initial rejection, Jean committed his proposal to writing.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Jean wrote to you saying, will you marry me?
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- And you said...?- I am hoping to be a nun someday.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05That was it. I didn't say, you know, yes or no or what...
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Kept my options open, you might say.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Having spent two months in Northern Ireland,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16the Belgians left Collegelands in the winter of 1945,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and Maureen would never hear from the lovestruck Jean again.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23But it wasn't for his lack of trying.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27The world record bid has unearthed more than just birth certificates.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The Donnellys' neglected cupboards and drawers have betrayed some
0:17:30 > 0:17:32clandestine family secrets.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37My goodness. After all these years, to get a photograph
0:17:37 > 0:17:41that I never had.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47Unbeknownst to Maureen, Jean never gave up on his unrequited love.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49There.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50That is Jean.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55- From Belgium.- He is a good-looking lad, isn't he?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Well, that's a lovely photograph - no doubt about it.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01As well as sending a photograph to remember him by,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03the smitten Belgian soldier
0:18:03 > 0:18:05had continued to write letters for decades.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Letters that would never arrive.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11This is the 28th of the 10th, '45.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16"Dear friend, I write to you for to say I shall never forget you
0:18:16 > 0:18:19"and this little country in which you call Ireland.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25"The thing I regret most in leaving Ireland is leaving you."
0:18:25 > 0:18:29So you just discovered this recently 70 years after he wrote it?
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It was 1945 it was written.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Is it sad reading that?
0:18:34 > 0:18:35Of course it's sad.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Despite never receiving a response,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43it seems Jean wrote letters well into the 1970s.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Letters that someone kept secret from Maureen.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Why did the letters never got to you?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Who do you think kept them?
0:18:49 > 0:18:50Could only be my mother.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53She would be sort of interested...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56So your mother had read what she thought was a love letter and
0:18:56 > 0:18:58thought, "Not for my Maureen."
0:18:58 > 0:18:59Well, whatever she thought.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Finding long-lost love letters was an unexpected result of Leo's search
0:19:05 > 0:19:07for the family's original birth certificates.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13He's confident the people at Guinness World Records
0:19:13 > 0:19:17will approve his application and award them the title
0:19:17 > 0:19:19of the world's oldest family.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22When you think of all the number of billionaires in the world today,
0:19:23 > 0:19:28I think I can see any number of them beating a path to the front door
0:19:28 > 0:19:31in College Hall and saying, "Leo, what's your secret?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33"How do you do it?"
0:19:33 > 0:19:36I'll be saying, "Come on in and we'll discuss it".
0:19:36 > 0:19:38And, show me the colour of your money
0:19:38 > 0:19:40and I'll give you plenty of secrets.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45People say it must be something in the air.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48I think it must be something in the soil.
0:19:48 > 0:19:54They talk about these Mediterranean diets, Japanese sushi,
0:19:54 > 0:19:56all this and that throughout the world,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59but we think we've got just as good in our back fields.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Apples has been growing through our veins since before we were born.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13That's the start of an apple that will grow three or four inches in
0:20:13 > 0:20:16diameter. A lot of people have this apple because they grow a beautiful
0:20:16 > 0:20:21big apple and they go into Mr Kipling's pies.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29My daddy got into apples in the 1930s,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33so there's apples that Daddy put in in 1939 and '40,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35they're still growing. They'll last for 100 years.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42An abundance of fresh fruit and veg has done the Donnellys no harm
0:20:42 > 0:20:44at all, but it wasn't just getting their five a day
0:20:44 > 0:20:48that has helped keep them young. They also love their sport,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and many of their physical feats took place
0:20:51 > 0:20:53where the orchard now stands.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Where these apples are planted here was known as the old sports field.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03And for sports day,
0:21:03 > 0:21:09the grass was all mowed and cleaned up, ready for the whole community.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Actually, being our field,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18we put in extra effort to get most of the prizes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24As the saying goes, the apple never falls far from the tree.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28The Donnellys got their love of sport from Peter Donnelly Sr.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30My father was an athlete.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33And all of us heard the story that he could have jumped
0:21:33 > 0:21:37over a five-bar gate, a field gate, without putting his hands to it.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48The Donnelly kids were encouraged to play sport from an early age.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51All of the children played, boys and girls.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Footballers at one end of the field,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and girls at the other end of the field.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01All 11 brothers played for the local Gaelic football team.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08In Gaelic football, you'd make dashes to get a ball, to get it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12You had to train for a couple or three hours every night.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17If somebody told you to go out and do ten laps of that field,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21you didn't turn up your nose, you did it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Seamus is convinced that playing sport
0:22:23 > 0:22:26has contributed to the family's good health.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28This is why, it had to build your body up and build your muscles up.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35You know, it made you eat more and eat good, solid food, so
0:22:35 > 0:22:36you had your body in good tune.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44For the Donnellys, it seems an apple a day has kept the doctor away.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I'm certainly glad we had that healthy lifestyle,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51because it's given us a good chance to get this world record.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It's absolutely amazing that the simple things of life
0:22:55 > 0:23:00can have you stay on this planet for longer than any family
0:23:00 > 0:23:02in the whole wide world.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14In anticipation of the official result from Guinness World Records,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Leo is preparing to welcome his brothers and sisters
0:23:17 > 0:23:19back to College Hall, their childhood home.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Is everyone on their best behaviour?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I hope so. I think they will be, I think they will be.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31The important thing is to get together as a family.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32It could be for the last time,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35because some of us aren't getting any younger.
0:23:36 > 0:23:3813 Donnellys are travelling from far and wide
0:23:38 > 0:23:40for what they hope will be a celebration.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Maureen! You're very welcome.
0:23:41 > 0:23:48- Good to see you. Welcome home. - You're looking as well as ever.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Grand for us all, getting out and getting our faces washed.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Right, how many do we have now?
0:23:55 > 0:23:57- We're two missing.- There's far too many, that's what's wrong.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03With so many brothers and sisters, it can be hard to keep track.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05So, where are you in the line-up?
0:24:05 > 0:24:06I'm number 12.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I'm number five.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I will be number eight about, roughly.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11So, you're the eldest?
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- So they tell me.- Second.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17- Second?- Yes. Sean, Maureen, Eileen, Peter, Mairead,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21Rosie, Tony, Terry, Seamus, Oliver, Brian, Kathleen, Colm,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Leo, Austin and Michael was the young one.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Do you worry about anything?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28I don't worry about very much.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30- No.- As my bed is all paid, and I don't owe the bank anything
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and I don't owe anybody else anything.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Collectively, what you think everybody here does
0:24:36 > 0:24:37or has that's...?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40The Donnellys' apples and the apple tarts could be the secret.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44- They're secret.- Yeah.- Well, we've a few slices in there.- Oh.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Not that much, only a little bit...
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Did you love growing up in such a big family?
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Oh, well, yes, but we used to think that the boys
0:24:55 > 0:24:57got away with murder...
0:24:57 > 0:25:00They never did anything. Because we had to do all of cooking,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03the housework, the cleaning and then we had to go out and help in the
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- fields.- The girls had to do everything?
0:25:06 > 0:25:07The girls had to do everything.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And the lads were out tinkering with their motors.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12They'd say, "Get me my tea," and pour it out.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14For your brothers?
0:25:14 > 0:25:15These boys, here.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- Oh, yes.- And these boys were off on their motorbikes and their cars,
0:25:19 > 0:25:20which we knew nothing about.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22It's kind of amazing.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Regardless of whether they get the record or not,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28they're all together, they're all here,
0:25:28 > 0:25:30they're all healthy
0:25:30 > 0:25:33and I think their mum and dad would be really proud.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I'm hoping, in a few decades' time,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40that I'll be sitting here eating a load of cake and drinking tea and as
0:25:40 > 0:25:42happy as you all seem to be.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44What are the secrets?
0:25:44 > 0:25:46What's the thing, the advice?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48The advice I would give is anything that's difficult,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50let it pass over your head and forget about it.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Sleep on it. Now, the doctor'll tell you it's in your genes.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56He told me it was in my genes, and I was looking in my jeans...
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Looking for a few pounds?
0:25:59 > 0:26:01- To see what he was talking about. - Two-legged jeans?
0:26:01 > 0:26:03And Colm, what do you think it is?
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I think it's working together is the secret of a long life,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08and having that family feeling.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13What will it mean to the Donnellys to be recognised
0:26:13 > 0:26:16as the world's oldest family - if that happens?
0:26:16 > 0:26:18If my father was alive,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22he would be absolutely over the moon to think that all of us
0:26:22 > 0:26:25are here together and, you know,
0:26:25 > 0:26:30it would be the icing on the cake if it all comes together in the end.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37With the birth certificates authenticated
0:26:37 > 0:26:41and all the ages counted, it's time for the official announcement.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43- Hello, hi.- Hello.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Hello, everyone.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52So, as a Guinness World Records adjudicator, I can confirm you are,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55indeed, the world's oldest 13 living siblings.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00So, congratulations, you guys are record holders.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Woo-hoo, come on, the Donnellys!
0:27:03 > 0:27:05CHEERING
0:27:05 > 0:27:07They are officially the world's oldest family.
0:27:07 > 0:27:13I think you imagine that title to belong somewhere exotic,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16and actually, we're in Armagh.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19You know, in a field, and that's quite nice.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23I think the key to it all, really, is tea.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Oldest to youngest, all the way...
0:27:27 > 0:27:31Yeah, from the eldest, all the way down.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Thankfully, we have got to the finish line
0:27:34 > 0:27:35and over the last hurdle.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38And it really is a fantastic feeling.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Yeah.- A feeling of completion.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Go on, the Donnellys!
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I'm kind of disappointed, because I love a fad, I love a quick fix.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50I love someone to say buy that and it will fix this and, actually,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53what I'm learning is that the Donnellys don't purport
0:27:53 > 0:27:57to have any magic solution or reason why they've managed
0:27:57 > 0:28:01all to live so long, it's kind of all pretty basic stuff.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06How do you think Austin would feel about it all?
0:28:06 > 0:28:09I can see Austin smiling down on us right now.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11He's just saying, "Well done."
0:28:12 > 0:28:13Go on, the Donnellys!
0:28:15 > 0:28:16Woo-hoo!