Louth Active Retirement team takes top prize at national bowls competition

^{ABOVE: Active Retirement Ireland national indoor mats bowling competition (large bowls) cup winners ‘Kilcurry White’ from County Louth. From left: From left: Killarney Municipal District Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr John O’Donoghue, Kilcurry White members Christine Holmes and Philip Kerley, Active Retirement Ireland National President Anne Drury, Kilcurry White team skip Sean Smyth and Sean Marmion, and Kerry County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr John Francis Flynn.}

Members of the Kilcurry Active Retirement bowls team have taken the top prize at the 2022 Active Retirement Ireland national indoor mats bowling competition, which took place at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney, Co. Kerry this week.

Kilcurry White team members Christine Holmes, Philip Kerley, Sean Marmion, and Sean Smyth were last night presented with the 2022 large bowls cup by Active Retirement Ireland National President Anne Drury and CEO Maureen Kavanagh. Carlow team ‘Tullow Rollers’ were the cup winners in the small bowls tournament.

Over three days, 57 Active Retirement teams from across the country competed for the 2022 Active Retirement Ireland Cup indoor mat bowls at the organisation’s 10th annual flagship event, which has been held every year since 2010, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when it was suspended due to the pandemic.

Speaking at the awards presentation, Active Retirement Ireland CEO Maureen Kavanagh said: “Congratulations to Kilcurry White on their success at this year’s competition. They have met strong competition from many talented teams over the past few days to emerge the winners of the 2022 large bowls cup.

“This year’s National Bowls Competition is of extra special significance as it indicates that older people are taking charge of their lives again post-pandemic. It showcases the resilience of older people as they come back to volunteering, and to resuming an active and social lifestyle after two years of lockdown.

“The 230 bowlers who competed for the Cup this week, our members in attendance and our volunteers who helped with the event, epitomise the absolute determination of older people not to be left behind or left out of life. We are grateful for the generous support of our event host the Gleneagle Hotel for making this event possible for so many of our members and for their recognition of the contribution that older people make.”

In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, Active Retirement Ireland had 550 Active Retirement Associations comprising some 25,000 members. Post-pandemic, current figures show that 81% of ARAs have resumed activities and 18,500 members (74%) have returned to their ARAs.

Ms Kavanagh said: “I’d like to take this opportunity at the resumption of our largest membership event to issue a rallying call to more older people to try and re-engage and build up their social connections again, whether through your local ARA or elsewhere, but to understand that social connection is one of the most important pathways to better health.” 

Active Retirement Ireland is the country’s largest membership organisation for older people comprising a nation-wide network of local Active Retirement Associations that aim to reduce isolation and loneliness among older people.