It is a story that usually comes out of Turkey, Georgia, or China. How do they do it? How do they live so long? The "they" are a group of centenarians who have been discovered in some remote region of the planet.

Is their longevity due to local diet? Is it something in the air they breathe? Is it because they live at a high or low altitude above sea level?

Medical professionals, scientists, and people with a fear of death ask these questions every time they read reports about some newly found cluster of modern Methuselahs. Now they can turn their attention to the remarkable Clarke brothers in Ireland.

In late August, Pat Clarke became the fourth member of his family to pass the hundred-age mark. His birthday was celebrated in the village of Gurtymadden, Loughrea, in County Galway.

Two of his brothers, Joe and Charlie, both deceased, had also been centenarians, as had his mother, who died in 1976.

A fourth Clarke brother, Jimmy, aged 97, flew home from New York to be with birthday boy Pat, and is already planning his own 100th birthday party.

The only explanation Pat can offer for living so long is that, as a farmer, he spent his working years outdoors in all weathers.

Is there something in the Galway air that holds the key to unlocking the mystery of living to a hundred? If so, bottle it. There's a fortune to be made selling it to wealthy people willing to try anything in their quest for an extra decade, year, month, week, day, or even one more hour of life.

Is the legendary Tír na n-Óg really to be found a hop, skip and a jump away from watching the sun go down on Galway Bay? The possibility has local tourism promoters drooling in their dreams.

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