Ballinasloe Active Retirement Association Online

Spring Break 2017

Our Spring Break to Kenmare – 7^th – 11^th May 2017

On Sunday. May 7^th 63 members of our Active Retirement group set off excitedly on the first leg of our journey to Kenmare for our annual 5 day Spring break.

We were based in the lovely Kenmare Bay Hotel and enjoyed brilliant sunshine and blue skies for the duration of our visit.

Our first day’s tour took us through beautiful scenic Glengarriff, which sits in the shelter of Bantry Bay, on to Mizen Head, the most south westerly point of the Iveragh Peninsula. It was the most exilerating experience with its arched bridge, the 99 steps and paths and fabulous views of Dunlough Bay, Signal Station and Fastnet Rock. Fastnet was known as Ireland’s Teardrop as it was the last part of Ireland seen by thousands of Irish Emigrants as they sailed away to the New World, most of them never to return again.

The mountainous Beara peninsula with its stunning coastal scenery was on the agenda for Day 2. Our first stop was in the major fishing port of Castletownbere with the Sugar Loaf Mountain and Hungry Hill as a backdrop. After a delicious tea/coffee/scones/apple pie,custard,cream,strawberry/ break in the Beara Coast Hotel, we continued on our journey to Allihies passing through the brightly painted, picturesque villages of Eyeries and Ardgroom. Unfortunately, time didn’t allow any of us to take the cable car to Dursey Island. The return journey took us to Adrigole via the Healy Pass which winds its way through the Caha Mountains, the backbone of the Beara Peninsula. We literally held our breath as we squeezed our way through the narrow tunnels. Well done to our driver Michael, who manoeuvred this extra large coach through these tunnels for the very first time. On the way back we had the unique experience of visiting the Buddhist temple at Dzogchen Beara built in the style of a traditional Tibetan monastery with its floor to ceiling windows and spectacular ocean views.

On day 3, we headed for Caherdaniel on the Ring of Kerry and had an interesting tour of Derrynane House, ancestral home of Daniel O’Connell. It is situated on 120 hectares of parklands on the scenic Kerry coast. Derrynane was notorious as a port for smugglers in the 18^th century

As we boarded our bus for home, we were sad to leave this scenic part of the country. There wasn’t a hill or mountain in sight as we approached Ballinasloe. Even though we were very tired, we all agreed that the fun, comraderie and nice meals all helped to make this a wonderful and enjoyable trip. Thanks to Phil and Bridie for all the organising.

Chris O’Flynn P.R.O

St. PATRICKS DAY PARADE 2017

St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 2017

Having just completed an eight week “Fit Town Programme” we felt we well fit and ready for our annual walk around town in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

However, the extremely bad weather conditions on the day quickly dampened our enthusiasm, After a hesitant start, we decided to brave the elements. As the rain poured down, 32 brave warriors in our group donned the hats, boots and rain gear. Adorned with green sashes , we bravely joined the parade and were enthusiastically cheered on by a somewhat smaller number of spectators.

Having done our bit for our Patron Saint and for our community, we dragged our drenched bodies up the stairs in Gullane’s for a more than welcome bowl of lovely hot soup and tea/coffee

I believe there were some who availed of hot toddies!

Well deserved, I say !!!!

Chris O’Flynn (P.R.O)

Young People’s Perspective on the elderly to-day

“Young People’s Perspective on the elderly to-day”

Well done to the two young T.Y. students, Emma Loughnane and Emily Gavin from Scoil Mhuire, who couragesly gave us a very interesting and enlightening presentation at our monthly meeting last Wed.

We seem to constantly criticise the younger generation for their constant use of phones and other technology, their lack of communication, their bad pronunciation, their sloppy dress code, ripped jeans, over use of make-up etc.

We were pleased to hear they considered us wise, religious, more domesticated, better dancers, thrifty, respectful, responsible, generous, good listeners and chatty

On the negative side they noticed we were lonely, impatient, grumpy, hopeless at technology, not great drivers, prone to sickness.

The result of a research amongst the general body of students showed they considered you were “old” at age 75 and they thought our generation had a better lifestyle than the young people of to-day.

It seems we could learn a lot from each other!!

Chris O’Flynn P.R.O.

Emma Loughnane Gabriel Rohan Emile Gavin

FIT BALLINASLOE MARCH 2017

FREE ADVICE FOR B.A.R.A. MEMBERS

Steve Korker's post.

1. It’s time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don’t just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard-earned capital. Warning: This is also a bad time for investments, even if it seems wonderful or fool-proof. They only bring problems and worries. This is a time for you to enjoy some peace and quiet.

2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren, and don’t feel bad spending your money on yourself. You’ve taken care of them for many years, and you’ve taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their own money.

3. Keep a healthy life, without great physical effort. Do moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It’s easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. That is why you need to keep yourself in good shape and be aware of your medical and physical needs. Keep in touch with your doctor, do tests even when you’re feeling well. Stay informed.

4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then, enjoy it together.

5. Don’t stress over the little things. You’ve already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don’t let the past drag you down and don’t let the future frighten you. Feel good in the now. Small issues will soon be forgotten.

6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor and remember: “A man is not old as long as he has intelligence and affection.”

7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don’t stop going to your hair salon or barber, do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist, keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong.

8. Don’t lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There’s nothing worse than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You’ve developed your own sense of what looks good on you – keep it and be proud of it. It’s part of who you are.

9. ALWAYS stay up-to-date. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You’ll be surprised what old friends you’ll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.

10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same ideals as you, but they are the future, and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them that yesterday’s wisdom still applies today.

11. Never use the phrase: “In my time.” Your time is now. As long as you’re alive, you are part of this time. You may have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.

12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days on the latter. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it’ll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.

13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you’ve lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out. Even then, do so only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.

14. Don’t abandon your hobbies. If you don’t have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess, dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer or just collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.

15. Even if you don’t feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven’t seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don’t get upset when you’re not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.

16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That’s a great way of reducing their desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don’t go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.

17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we’re all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.

18. If you’ve been offended by someone – forgive them. If you’ve offended someone - apologize. Don’t drag around resentment with you. It only serves to make you sad and bitter. It doesn’t matter who was right. Someone once said: “Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Don’t take that poison. Forgive, forget and move on with your life.

19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don’t waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.

20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what’s not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.

21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less notice of what they might be thinking. They’ll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you’ve achieved. Let them talk and don’t worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you’ve lived so far. There’s still much to be written, so get busy writing and don’t waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be at rest, at peace and as happy as you can be!
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