A highly regarded cattle dealer, Jack Primrose, from Fivemiletown, has died at the age of 101.

Described as “a heart of corn”, Mr. Primrose passed away at St. Macartan’s Nursing Home, Clogher on Monday, nine days after his one hundred and first birthday.

Born on November 18, 1916 at Glenoo, Fivemiletown, Jack was one of six siblings. Life in rural Ireland was tough and Jack’s father wanted him to help out at the home farm, but he harboured a desire to make some money. He became a cattle dealer, dealing extensively throughout the west of Ireland and his name was well-known wherever he went.
He married Sarah Johnston in 1946 and had a son William and a daughter Ann.

READ: Jack Primrose on his 100th birthday - His secret to long life is hard work and two half-uns of whiskey

He had three grandchildren and five great grandchildren, the most recent arriving just 15 weeks ago, called Jackson.
“He loved meeting Jackson and sat proudly in the photos of the four generations of Primrose men,” said his daughter in-law Doreen Primrose.
Mr. Primrose has been a resident of St. Macartan’s Nursing Home for the past four years and was well-known for borrowing lots of western books from the library each week and for playing cards with friends who came to visit.

“He was a great character,” said Doreen. “He had recently been hospitalised for a chest infection and never recovered. Up until that he had still be reading and was with it,” she explained.
“The staff miss him and have told us that there’s an empty chair and they miss the craic because he was always up for a gag,” Doreen added.
She said: “He was known the length and breadth of Ireland. He was a heart of corn – he got far more out of giving than receiving and he will be missed.”

Mr. Primrose’s funeral service took place yesterday (Wednesday) in St. Ronan’s Parish Church, Colebrooke, with interment afterwards in the adjoining churchyard.