Ireland’s Top Age Friendly Initiatives Recognised at 2024 National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards
An age-and-climate-friendly village in Kildare and a Halloween safety initiative by An Garda Síochána in Kerry were among the winners of the 2024 National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards. Announced at the 8th annual awards on 7th November, the winning projects were chosen for their exceptional contribution to making Ireland an outstanding place to grow older.
MCed by RTÉ star Marty Whelan and hosted this year by Fingal County Council at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Northwood, Santry, Dublin, the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards winners were:
Age Friendly Transport Award, sponsored by the Department of Transport: Cnoc (Inverin) and Casla Bus Shelters, Connemara, Galway County Council
Age Friendly Community Innovation Award, sponsored by the Department of Rural & Community Development: Creative Cafés, Monaghan County Council
Age Friendly Communication Award, sponsored by An Post: Development and Publication of a Directory of Health and Social Care Services for Older People, HSE with Laois County Council and Offaly County Council
Age Friendly Housing Award, sponsored by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Infill Age Friendly Housing, Brady’s Court, South Dublin County Council
Age Friendly Environment Award, sponsored by the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at NDA: Joint winners of this award were: Ballymore Eustace, Age Friendly Climate Friendly Village, Kildare County Council; and Creating Age Friendly & Inclusive Beach Access in Donegal, Donegal County Council & Community Groups
Age Friendly Safety & Security Award, sponsored by An Garda Síochána: Halloween Safety Door Hanger Initiative, An Garda Síochána, Kerry
Age Friendly Business Innovation Award, sponsored by Chambers Ireland: Age Friendly Care from eir, eir Ireland
Age Friendly Active & Healthy Ageing Award, sponsored by the Department of Health: Rosemount GAA Social Initiative, Westmeath
Ireland’s National Public Libraries were also honoured on the night with the Judge’s Special Recognition Award, acknowledging the exceptional dedication of library staff nationwide. The judges highlighted how library teams go above and beyond to create welcoming, accessible, and relevant services tailored to the diverse and evolving needs of older people. Public libraries have also played a vital role in facilitating the rollout of many initiatives recognised in this year’s awards, underscoring their commitment to supporting communities and enhancing the quality of life for older adults across the country.
Commenting on the awards, Ita Healy, Chair of the National Network of Older People’s Councils said: “This annual celebration of projects really personifies what it means to be age friendly. The calibre of projects across the country is a true testament to how Ireland is embracing the Age Friendly Ireland vision. A huge congratulations to the winners and all the shortlisted projects who were truly the gold standard of innovative ideas to improve the quality of life for older adults in Ireland. I look forward to seeing how other groups replicate the projects in their own communities.”
Kieran Kehoe, Chief Executive of Meath County Council added: “This year marks the eighth year of the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards. Since 2014, the quality of shortlisted projects continues to improve. These awards were designed to recognise the work of everyone — from the community and voluntary sector; to front line workers and practitioners, businesses and individuals. These awards are for you, the people who have worked tirelessly to support older people in their community.”
Peter Hynes, Chair of the Age Friendly Awards Selection Panel, who addressed over 300 attendees at the awards ceremony, said: “Choosing just a selection of winners from an exceptional list was no easy task. We visited each shortlisted project to establish if their work, which looked so fantastic on paper, lived up to expectations. Each one exceeded our expectations at every point. Congratulations to the overall winners, your projects are fantastic exemplars of Age Friendly initiatives.”
AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive, Fingal County Council, added: “We were delighted to host this year’s Age Friendly Awards. It is a huge event in the annual Age Friendly Ireland calendar, and it is our pleasure to welcome representatives from every local authority in Ireland here to Fingal to celebrate. Fingal has been an Age Friendly County since 2012, and since then we have been working towards creating a community that incorporates the voice of the older person at every turn.”
Recognised by Age Friendly Ireland, the overall winners were chosen as the top exemplars of best practices which are both impactful and can inspire similar efforts across the country.
