Age & Opportunity

05/08/2026

Are you an older member (50+ years) of the LGBTQ+ community?
Would you like to be involved in creating a more connected community as you age?
Are you part of an LGBTQ+ group or interested in starting one?
If so, Get Engaged may be the initiative for you.

Get Engaged is an initiative for older members of the LGBTQ+ community. It offers an opportunity and space to come together, to look at issues and challenges among the community and to consider how these can be addressed.

It aims to develop the skills and knowledge of a group (newlyformed or established) so we can address specific needs and build resilience together and individually.

It’s designed to be interactive and enjoyable with a practical, hands-on focus. Topics addressed include: Positive Ageing,Personality, Teamwork and Collaboration, Planning and Implementing a Community Project and Communications. Other possible topics: Identity as an Older LGBTQ+ adult, Managing Change as an Older Person.

Age & Opportunity is offering the initiative/course for older adult LGBTQ+ groups this Autumn and in 2027, funded by the Bank of Ireland Community Development Fund, through Community Foundation Ireland. It’s structured as 5 x in person sessions of 2.5 hours each.

If you are interested to discuss the initiative and how it could work for your group, please get in touch with us. Email [email protected] or Tel: 01 913 3922

Download the flyer and details of upcoming courses here: https://ageandopportunity.ie/engage/getengaged/

HSE Ireland Bank of Ireland Community Foundation Ireland Outhouse LINQ Ireland GOSHH OutWest Gay Project LGBT Ireland

29/07/2026

📣📣Wicklow folk - Walking Football is coming to your area!

Walking football is a fun, non-contact sport aimed at older people aged 55 and above. It offers significant physical and mental health benefits. As a team based activity it’s a great way to socialise and meet others.

Walking football is a safe and accessible sport and can be played by anyone, even if you have never played football before.

This initiative consists of weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 1.5 hours, over a five-week period.

Venue: Carnew Emmett’s Gaa Club, Aughrim Road, Carnew, Co. Wicklow, Y14 W894.

Date: Every Wednesday from 5th August to 2nd September 2026

Time: 10:00 - 11:30

Register your interest by email to: [email protected] or phone: 01 913 3943.
Download the flyer here: https://ow.ly/RMn150ZujZM

Sport Ireland Healthy Ireland HSE Ireland Wicklow Local Sports Partnership

22/07/2026

The Azure Steering Group, comprised of Age & Opportunity, IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art), Butler Gallery and The Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland, is pleased to offer Azure foundation training for gallery/museum staff (curators, education/access officers, guides and volunteers), arts educators and artists with facilitation experience, this Autumn. We ask that arts educators and artists are working with a gallery/museum, so they have a collection to draw on to facilitate tours.

The training is designed for those currently facilitating general tours, or those with previous experience in this area. It trains participants in how to facilitate Azure tours for those with dementia-related conditions and their families, carers and friends. It aims to enhance their visitor experience of these cultural institutions and to promote more inclusive access. Underpinning the training is the belief, that we are all entitled to be active cultural participants throughout our lives.

Once participants have completed the foundation course their gallery/museum is considered part of the Azure network. For more background on Azure and the Azure network (organisations offering Azure Tours) please visit: https://ow.ly/5C4x50ZqPBj

VENUE AND DATES
IMMA, The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
Wednesdays: 16th , 23rd , 30th September and 14th , 21st October 2026, 10am – 4.30pm.

Please note, participants must attend all of the September dates and one of the October dates. Which October date will be arranged once the course has commenced. The course involves 4 full days of training not 5.

PRICE/BOOKING
Azure Foundation training costs €625 per participant. As places are limited, fees need to be paid in advance to secure a place.

For more information or to book a place, please contact Fiona at Tel (01) 913 3922 or [email protected]

Further information in the flyer here: https://ow.ly/twBR50ZqPBl

HSE Ireland The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon IMMA - Irish Museum of Modern Art The Alzheimer Society of Ireland Butler Gallery

17/07/2026

Applications are now open for the Age & Opportunity 2026 Creative Ageing Writing Bursary, Professional Development and Emerging Artist Awards.

These awards are part of our ongoing commitment to supporting artists aged 50 and over in Ireland. They aim to recognise both emerging talent and the importance of continued professional development and support in later life.

Each award offers €1,000 to a successful applicant and is designed to support artists at different stages of their creative journey.

Please note in 2026 we are changing to an artform-based submission cycle for the Emerging and Professional Development Artist Awards. This year we are accepting applications from artists working in the performing arts only.

Deadline: 12pm Tuesday 25th August 2026
More information and how to apply here : https://ow.ly/jWqi50ZoPw7

Queries or support: [email protected]

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon HSE Ireland

15/07/2026

Our friends at Bold Climate Action have developed a series of webinars – “Healthy Ageing/Healthy Planet” - which highlight the positive and interdependent links between caring for our health as we age and caring for our ailing planet.

The next webinar - Sustainable Diets For You, For The Planet – takes place on 16th July 2026 from 11am-12:30. Further information and book your spot here:

Presented by BOLD Climate Action

14/07/2026

📣Are you an older member (50+ years) of the LGBTQ+ community?
📣Would you like to be involved in creating a more connected LGBTQ+ community as you age?

Get Engaged at Outhouse, Dublin is an initiative for older members of the LGBTQ+ community. It offers an opportunity to come together, to look at issues and challenges faced by the community, and to consider practical initiatives to address them. It aims to develop skills and knowledge within the group to build resilience so we can address specific needs together.

It’s designed to be interactive and enjoyable with a pragmatic,hands-on focus. Topics addressed include: Positive Ageing, Personality, Teamwork and Collaboration, Planning and Implementing a Community Project, Communications. Other possible topics: Identity as an Older LGBTQ+ adult, Managing Change as an Older Person.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱?
Get Engaged is funded by the Bank of Ireland Community Fund, through Community Foundation Ireland and is free to attend. This course is delivered in 2.5 hour sessions once a week over 5 weeks (please note the weeks are not all consecutive). Each session builds on the one before, so please only sign up if you can participate in all 5 sessions.

Venue: Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, 105 Capel Street, Rotunda,Dublin 1, D01 R290
Dates: Tuesdays 1, 8, 15, 29 September & 13 October 2026
Times: 10.30 am – 1.00 pm (which includes a comfort break with tea and coffee)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸?
To make a booking please contact Hannah Kelly, Programmes and Services Manager, Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre on [email protected] or call 01 873 4999

If you have any questions on the course please contact Fiona Holohan, Engage Programme Coordinator in Age & Opportunity on [email protected] or call 019133922.

Download the flyer here: https://ow.ly/cw1H50ZlZxq

HSE Ireland Outhouse Community Foundation Ireland of Ireland

08/07/2026

Open Call: Artist Care Exchange

Age & Opportunity is pleased to offer a unique professional development bursary for up to three professional artists with an interest and background in the arts and older people in a care context.

The Artists Care Exchange (ACE) bursary is intended to help artists develop their skills, contacts and professionalism so that they can work more confidently and expertly with older people in a care setting. ACE also aims to help artists understand the various ways to find paid work in this developing field.

Eligible professional artists from a wide range of art forms are encouraged to apply to ACE, including but not limited to: visual arts, film, dance, theatre, literature music, circus and multidisciplinary arts.

📅The deadline for applications is 12pm on Wednesday, 5th August 2026.

👉Find out more: https://ow.ly/TYVM50Zlt73

The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon HSE Ireland

08/07/2026

County Clare has been announced as the Regional Hub for Bealtaine Festival 2027, in a significant development for Ireland’s national celebration of arts and ageing.

This new hub model will see the Bealtaine Flagship Festival alternate annually between Dublin and regional locations.

In 2027, the spotlight will turn to Ennis, where the festival will be based in the county’s dynamic cultural campus and benefit from its experienced arts team and a long-standing commitment to Bealtaine at a local level.

The flagship celebrations will take place from Thursday, May 20 to Saturday, May 22, 2027, alongside the wider national programme running throughout May.

To mark this milestone partnership, Bealtaine Festival and Clare County Council have also announced a new music commission for a Clare-based artist aged 50+. Supported by a €15,000 bursary, the commission will support the creation of a new work to premiere at the 2027 Flagship Festival.

Full details of the application process will be announced in the coming weeks.



Clare County Council The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon HSE Ireland

08/07/2026

Listen back: Meg Hegarty, Age & Opportunity’s FitLine Coordinator, talks with LifeFM Cork about the many benefits of joining our FitLine initiative – listen to the full interview here: https://ow.ly/NIyO50Zl6Wp

FitLine is a free nationwide telephone service by Age & Opportunity, open to older people who want to get more active. We are looking for participants aged 50+ across the country who want to feel healthier and take the first step towards a more active lifestyle.

To find out more about FitLine or to sign up, call FitLine on 1800 303 545 or email [email protected] .

HSE Ireland Sport Ireland

Meg Hegarty FitLine Coordinator with Age & Opportunity’s Active Programme, speaks about the Fitline services.