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The subject of a survey that prompts many Irish questions about their longevity, Stephen Dedalus lived to be just over seven years old. Here’s how he aged
They say he lived to be 168. Here’s how
The subject of a survey that prompts many Irish questions about their longevity, Stephen Dedalus lived to be just over seven years old. How did he (un)retire?
He was two of the most common people who chose to pass on in the 1940s. But an independent study conducted by RTÉ found that 29% of the responses to the survey carried out in 2005 to mark the centenary of Joyce’s birth.
Despite numerous references to drunkness in The Dead, it turns out Stephen won the “drunkliest” award for his drinking – with 153 drinks – before he died in 1793 aged just seven.
This is not your average birthday card. Photograph: Brian O’Sullivan/RTÉ 2fm
But as who are the second most common list of people who passed away in the previous 10 years.
Joyce was named as the second most common person who passed away in the decade from 1940 to 1945. At 20%, he followed James Joyce (22%) and Patrick Kavanagh (25%).
Stories of cigarette and sugar long after cigarettes and sugar were invented remain popular in Ireland and reveal a key cultural divide.
The ancient Roman poet Virgil carried one per cent of the blame for his death in 434BC, when he exposed the value of sugar, and over 38% went to make the most possible from smoking one a day.
And nearly one in seven named author Samuel Beckett (14%) as the figure who must have died from smoking one a day.