Still Here

Ann Ingle is an eighty-seven-year-old writer, mother of eight, grandmother of eighteen and one of Ireland’s most beloved late bloomers. Her first book Driven ( Harper Collins, 2017), a biography of racing driver Rosemary Smith, was nominated for an An Post Irish book award. At eighty-two, she published her second book, a memoir, Open Hearted (Penguin 2022), which was critically acclaimed for its honesty and humour. With her trademark wit and fearlessness, she now turns her attention to the truth and comedy of ageing — a topic she knows inside and out.

All the usual words one would use to describe Ann Ingle seem superfluous: indomitable, free-spirited, stoic, courageous, smart, kind, generous. There are so many lessons to take from this account of ageing, but the one I take is acceptance. It’s coming for us all, so best be prepared by reading this marvellous, funny, poignant and wise book, and age as gracefully or disgracefully as we like!

• Author’s note page  Prologue  It doesn’t happen overnight  Who am I?  Rosemary  Keep moving  Low grumblings  The organ recital  What do ‘old folks’ do all day?  Missing things  Always there  The club at St Gabriel’s  Live for now  Don’t let me die with a beard  Bear with me A room of my own  Respect  A lifetime of dieting  Tech savvy  The white stick  Mystical matters  Simple things  What am I saving for?  I need to talk about death  Old woman’s hands  Is that all there is?  Further recommended reading  Acknowledgements