Lambert, who was born on October 5th, 1907, in Clooneygrasson, Castlerea, Co Roscommon, died on Sunday at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe.

“He was born in a thatched cottage beside what is now the family home,” Edward Lambert, Michael’s son, told The Irish Times. “He built the family home when he got married the day after Valentine’s day in 1954.”

Lambert was in his mid 40s when he met his wife Mae Collins, who came from a nearby village. He left school aged 12, after his father died, and ran the horse and cart for Roscommon County Council. He went on to run the family farm for most of his life.

“He was a placid, easy-going man,” said Edward (known locally as Eamonn). “He said his prayers at a slow pace, he ate his dinner at a slow pace, he never rushed anything.” The couple had 10 children and 22 grandchildren and were married for more than six decades.

Edward says his father’s mother and sisters all lived well into their nineties, and says healthy eating and daily exercise on the farm contributed to his long life.

He believes his father’s decision to give up smoking 60 years ago also played a role in his longevity.

Lambert carried an American passport as his father had spent time in the US before his birth. He only travelled outside Ireland five times, including a trip to visit his mother who had moved to the States soon after he married Mae.

He later travelled around mainland Europe in his 80s with his son who worked as a truck driver.

Although Michael was the oldest man in Ireland, he was not the oldest Irish person. According to Áras an Uachtaráin, the oldest living Irish person is 112-year-old Kathleen Snavely of Syracuse, New York.