SPRIGHTLY GERARD Prendergast may be 91 years old but he’s literally bowling along the retirement lane of life.
The former British Rail worker is one of more than 400 older people participating in Ireland’s national indoor bowls tournament for the “active retired” at Breaffy House resort, near Castlebar, Co Mayo, which began yesterday.
Between turns on the mat, the cloth-capped Mr Prendergast, who lives in nearby Claremorris, explained that he believes he might not be purring along so well healthwise were it not for the activities such as bowling that Active Retirement Ireland (ARI) provides.
ARI has 23,000 members, of whom 15,000 play bowls. Active retirement groups from throughout the country are participating in the national bowls tournament at Breaffy House Resort, which will conclude tomorrow with a presentation ceremony and dance.
The winners will be presented with a specially commissioned cup by the Lynch Hotel Group.
Maureen Kavanagh, chief executive of Active Retirement Ireland, says there is a competitive side to the tournament even if there’s a lot of fun involved. “We had one lady playing today who was wearing bed socks. That raised a few laughs,” she explained.
Asked if romance ever blossomed between members, Ms Kavanagh replied: “We’re not a dating agency. But members have made lifetime friends. Others have renewed acquaintance again with people they might not have seen for 50 or 60 years.”