ONLY one-in-five Irish people would like to live forever, research has found.
That's according to a study which revealed less than 20 per cent of people would be "very likely" to choose immortality, given the choice.
Almost a quarter of those surveyed, meanwhile, admitted they would be "very unlikely" to choose to live forever, if the opportunity presented itself.
The findings were something of a shock to AA, who commissioned the study.
Conor Faughnan, the AA's director of corporate affairs, described the findings as "a surprise."
"I thought it would be much higher. Immortality has been the philosopher's dream throughout history but Irish people seem a bit more realistic," he said.
The survey didn't go into further depth as to why so many Irish people would rather not live forever, but it did reveal a notable gender gap when it comes to addressing the prospect though.
Men were shown to be six per cent more likely to choose immortality with 21.34 per cent of male respondents stating they were "very likely" to choose to live forever.
That is compared with just 15.3 per cent of women who chose the same option.
Mr Faughnan said: "The gender disparity in opinions highlights the importance of having serious conversations about death and how your family will manage if anything happens to you while you still can."
The average life expectancy in Ireland is currently 81.5 years, just below 81.6 years for those living in Britain.
