Irene Lynch, née Bodkin, was a Irish centenarian, school teacher, born 27 April 1911. Lynch, a member of the Tribes of Galway, is a brother of Michael Bodkin (c.1879 - February 11th, 1900), who was a boyfriend of Nora Barnacle, and part of the inspiration for the character Michael Furey in James Joyce's short story, The Dead. Their parents were Mary Elizabeth Francis and Leo Bodkin, who had another child, Violet. She was sent to live with her grandmother at Nun's Island in the town when her parents emigrated to the USA and educated at the nearby Presentation College, going on to board at Taylor's Hill, and studied English at University College, Galway.