![\"Maggie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/002474be-614.jpg\"\/)
\nMaggie McFadden moved to Glasgow in the 1950s<\/p>\n
A woman who was born on a small, sparsely inhabited island off the northwest coast, will return there this afternoon as she celebrates her 100th birthday.<\/p>\n
Maggie McFadden was born on the 300-acre Inis B\u00f3 Finne, near Machaire Rabhartaigh, Co Donegal, and attributes her longevity to hard work and faith.<\/p>\n
When asked about her secret to a long life, she said: “Don’t be smoking and drinking too much; a good heart, honesty is everything, jealousy is the worst disease in the world.”<\/p>\n
Until the early 1970s, Inis B\u00f3 Finne had a population of 100.<\/p>\n
However, its population declined after that with just 16 people recorded on the 2022 census as living there.<\/p>\n
Some people return to fish or shellfish on a seasonal basis, but few spend all year on the island, which is home to corncrakes, peregrine falcons and barnacle geese.<\/p>\n
Ms McFadden’s grandniece, Kelise McCready, said Maggie became the main breadwinner for her family when her father lost his sight in an accident.<\/p>\n
\nMaggie McFadden moved to Glasgow in the 1950s<\/p>\n
As a teenager, she was one of many children from rural Donegal hired for seasonal labour in the rich agricultural area of the border region known as the ‘Lagan’.<\/p>\n
“Maggie would go to the hiring fair in Letterkenny and from there would spend her time in Northern Ireland, working on the farm until late spring.<\/p>\n
“She would send home whatever money she earned to maintain the family on the island,” Ms McCready said.<\/p>\n
Maggie moved to Glasgow with her mother and sister in the 1950s.<\/p>\n