Professor Rose Anne Kenny,TILDA, far left, and TILDA Ambassadors, from left, Claire Egan, former Mayo footballer, Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, GAA commentator, Denis Coughlan, former Cork dual player, Anthony Molloy, former Donegal footballer, Maria Devenney, former Donegal footballer, and Eamonn Rea, fomrer Limerick Hurler, during the How to Age Well: GAA and TILDA Partnership launch at Croke Park in Dublin.
Those in the GAA missing the unmistakable tones and tales of Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh are in for a treat next Tuesday 19th of May 6.30-7.30pm when the broadcasting legend contributes to a special webinar on wellbeing on the topic of ‘How to Age Well’.
The event is part of a series of wellbeing-focused webinars delivered by the GAA’s Community & Health department during the Covid-19 emergency. The latest instalment features a partnership with Trinity College’s and will include a presentation and contributions by Prof Rose Anne Kenny, lead researcher on the TILDA project (the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing). Both the GAA’s Healthy Club Project and TILDA benefit from CSR support from Irish Life.
Prior to Covid-19, TILDA and the Community & Health department, supported by the GAA’s respective County Health & Wellbeing Committees, delivered live seminars on ‘How to Age Well’ to thousands of attendees in counties Longford, Mayo, Donegal, Cork, Limerick, Kerry, and Wexford.
The Covid-19 emergency has caused those planned for Louth, Galway, and Kildare to be postponed, but thanks to the wonders of technology, this live webinar broadcast on the Microsoft Teams platform will bring this valuable research and discussion into hundreds of homes across the 32 counties.
Mícheál will touch on his personal philosophy and approach to health – one that has seen him remain hale and hearty into his 90th year. Prof Kenny will present some of the key findings of TILDA’s 10-year Irish research while also highlighting evidence-based lifestyle practices from the world’s ‘Blue Zones’, regions with the globe’s oldest populations and some of highest levels of life satisfaction.
GAA President John Horan said: “The GAA is proud to represent every age demographic in Ireland. This webinar is not just for GAA members, it is are for anyone in the community that is interested in ageing well. Irish Life is a long-standing CSR partner of the GAA Healthy Club Project and we’re delighted to broaden that relationship through this collaboration with TILDA.”
Prof. Rose Anne Kenny said: “TILDA is one of the most important research studies in Ireland which helps to better understand why bodies and brains age and how we can best ensure long and prosperous lives, for today's adults and for future generations. This unique partnership with the GAA will ensure that new research from TILDA and other international studies is quickly communicated to all age groups. As a research institution we are very excited about taking this new knowledge out to the Irish people.”