107-year-old Kerry woman receives honorary high school diploma

The one of ten quickly began her working life as a Nanny, to help support her family, therefore unable to finish her education.

In the 1960s, Hannah found a home in Mattituck and married a fellow Kerry native Michael Lovett, in 1939.

Over the weekend the local high school presented her with an honorary diploma as part of the graduating class of 2017.

According to the local online newspaper, Southoldlocal, the principal of the school said, “This was not a decision that was taken lightly, as receiving a diploma from Mattituck High School is something our students and graduates take great pride in, and certainly the class of 2017 has worked hard and dedicated much to achieve what they have,”

“But after speaking to her daughter and reading her memoir… it was clear that Ms. Lovett deserved to be honuored with Mattituck’s Class of 2017.”

Mrs Lovett has six children, 12 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

Living a long and happy life is something that runs in the Lovett family, each of her ten siblings lived to be at least 90 - four of them reaching 99.

Their mother just died two months shy of her 100th birthday, her grandmother lived to 103 and her great-grandmother lived to 107.

As part of her 100th birthday celebration, she took a trip to New York City, where she met former Irish president Mary McAleese.

She also received Ireland’s “centenarian bounty” in 2010, a check from the government for €2,540.