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If you need anyone, you’ve only to say the word, and they’ll all flock around you.
IF YOU’RE RETIRED there is no shortage of groups to join that will allow you to socialise, take part in your community, and to make new friends.
However before that, it can be more difficult. That’s what Theresa Murphy recognised when she set up Gals, short for Get A Life (Over 50), a group based in Ringsend, Dublin.
Gals has a mix of different backgrounds – some are carers, some are still running a home, some are still in the workplace – but they join together for everything from trips away to helping out their community.
We joined them on a trip to Kilkenny Castle arranged through Journal Journeys – a joint initiative between TheJournal.ie and Irish Rail that gave away 100 free train journeys for groups of up to 50 people.
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Joan Burton cut thousands of womens and mens pensions in 2012 as a punishment for rearing their kids.
@Jay Lane: Yep! Seemingly mothers who stayed home as homemakers and mums are an “anomaly” and those years are not taken into account when their pensions are being calculated.
Absolutely disgraceful! What a government we have that treats women like this.
Lovely initiative. I’ll be signing up for that in a few years!
This warms my heart to see.
I know that the ICA (Irish Countrywomens Association), whilst it’s probably got somewhat of an old fashioned aura about it, does this sort of thing and am ever thankful that my mum, who passed away too young in 2016 from the big C, enjoyed every minute that she was in it, she went on trips all over the country with a group of friends and like minded ladies, incidentally of all ages, from late 20′s to early 80′s, and they are involved in initiatives in the town all the time back home.
As a country, I feel that we have lost ourselves a little and all of our communities need to develop this sort of initiative, it will only succeed in bringing people closer together.
From sports teams, scouting, clubs, athletics, running, mens sheds, ICA and GALS etc .. all of these things help to foster a community spirit and make an area or town more than just a place that people live and die.
now there what i call real women ,jesus i wonder is there any of them single
What a great idea!!
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