Active Retirement bowls teams from Co Kerry have taken home two of the top prizes at the 2025 Active Retirement Ireland National Bowls Competition, which took place at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney, Co Kerry last week.
20-11-2025: Co Kerry Tralee Indoor Bowls Club member Margot Lyons pictured competing at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition at the Gleneagle INEC, KillarneyPhoto: Don MacMonagle.
Active retirees prove age is just a number
Putting positive ageing in the spotlight at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition today (20.11.25) at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney were teams from Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kildare, Westmeath, Wexford and Waterford.
The three-day indoor mat bowls tournament brought together more than 250 players from Active Retirement Associations across the country, making up 64 teams, highlighting the drive and self-determination of older people to age well and flourish in their later life. The event provided a platform for Active Retirement Ireland to urge the government to act on key policy priorities for older people, including a call to make the shingles vaccine available to everyone over 65 as part of the national immunisation programme.
There are 516 local Active Retire
20-11-2025: Celebrating positive ageing at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney were Mai Quaid, President, ARI with the Winning team of the large bowls plate Tralee Bowls Club from left, Margot Lyons, Eddie Wall, Pat O’Mahony and Steve Renardson.Photo: Don MacMonagle.
Active retirees prove age is just a number
Putting positive ageing in the spotlight at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition today (20.11.25) at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney were teams from Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kildare, Westmeath, Wexford and Waterford.
The three-day indoor mat bowls tournament brought together more than 250 players from Active Retirement Associations across the country, making up 64 teams, highlighting the drive and self-determination of older people to age well and flourish in their later life. The event provided a platform for Active Retirement Ireland to urge the government to act on key policy priorities for older people, including a call to make the shingles vaccine available to everyone over 65 as part of the national immunisation programme.
There are 516 local Active Retirement Associations (ARAs) in local communities across Ireland — groups of older people who come together to organise social events and activities to reinforce social connectedness and reduce loneliness — supported by Active Retirement Ireland, Ireland’s largest membership organisation for older people. See www.activeirl.ie
Contact: Abigail Bennett / Maisie Lynch, Alice Public Relations, Tel: 086-2277174 / 086-8966298/ 01-5582151, Email: [email protected]
About Active Retirement Ireland
Active Retirement Ireland is the national representative body for 516 Active Retirement Associations throughout Ireland, with a total membership of more than 24,000 people. It aims to end loneliness by offering older people opportunities to enjoy an active and healthy retirement. Further information is available at: www.activeirl.ie, @activeirl.
20-11-2025: The Milltown County kerry Bowls team from left, Willie O’Shea, Mike Long, Kevin Coleman and Paddy Lawlor pictured celebrating positive ageing at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney.Photo: Don MacMonagle.
Active retirees prove age is just a number
Putting positive ageing in the spotlight at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition today (20.11.25) at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney were teams from Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kildare, Westmeath, Wexford and Waterford.
The three-day indoor mat bowls tournament brought together more than 250 players from Active Retirement Associations across the country, making up 64 teams, highlighting the drive and self-determination of older people to age well and flourish in their later life. The event provided a platform for Active Retirement Ireland to urge the government to act on key policy priorities for older people, including a call to make the shingles vaccine available to everyone over 65 as part of the national immunisation programme.
There are 516 local Active Retirement Associations (ARAs) in local communities across Ireland — groups of older people who come together to organise social events and activities to reinforce social connectedness and reduce loneliness — supported by Active Retirement Ireland, Ireland’s largest membership organisation for older people. See www.activeirl.ie
Contact: Abigail Bennett / Maisie Lynch, Alice Public Relations, Tel: 086-2277174 / 086-8966298/ 01-5582151, Email: [email protected]
About Active Retirement Ireland
Active Retirement Ireland is the national representative body for 516 Active Retirement Associations throughout Ireland, with a total membership of more than 24,000 people. It aims to end loneliness by offering older people opportunities to enjoy an active and healthy retirement. Further information is available at: www.activeirl.ie, @activeirl.
20-11-2025: Celebrating positive ageing at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney is Mike Long from Milltown, Kerry.Photo: Don MacMonagle.
Active retirees prove age is just a number
Putting positive ageing in the spotlight at the finals of Active Retirement Ireland’s National Bowls Competition today (20.11.25) at the Gleneagle INEC, Killarney were teams from Carlow, Cork, Kerry, Kildare, Westmeath, Wexford and Waterford.
The three-day indoor mat bowls tournament brought together more than 250 players from Active Retirement Associations across the country, making up 64 teams, highlighting the drive and self-determination of older people to age well and flourish in their later life. The event provided a platform for Active Retirement Ireland to urge the government to act on key policy priorities for older people, including a call to make the shingles vaccine available to everyone over 65 as part of the national immunisation programme.
The
Tralee Indoor Bowls Club team members Margot Lyons, Pat O’Mahony, Steve Renardson and team skip Eddie Wall were presented with the 2025 large bowls plate and Milltown bowls team members Willie O’Shea, Mike Long, Paddy Lawlor and team skip Kevin Coleman were awarded the large bowls cup runners up prize by Active Retirement Ireland National President Mai Quaid and CEO Fran Brennan at a special gala ball held to close the competition on Thursday (20th November).
Milltown team member Mike Long was also awarded the 2025 Pat Cussen Prize as voted by fellow tournament participants for the bowler who best represented the spirit of the game through their sense of fair play and friendly competition.
Finalists from counties Carlow, Cork, Kildare, Waterford, Westmeath and Wexford were also presented with awards.
Over three days, 64 four-person Active Retirement bowls teams, including 17 from Co Kerry, competed across the large and small bowls competitions. The other Co Kerry teams were Sceilg le Cheile (Ballinskelligs), Camp East (Camp), Camp West (Camp), Fossa Sikas, Beaufort Síogs, Beaufort Elves, Killarney Sikas, Killarney Red Deer, Killorglin A, Natterjack Toads 1 (Glenbeigh), Natterjack Toads 2 (Glenbeigh), Kenmare Rebels, Kenmare Dolphins, Neidín (Kenmare) and Sneem Hummingbirds.
Speaking at the awards presentation, Active Retirement Ireland CEO Fran Brennan said: “Well done to all teams who participated in this year’s National Bowls Competition and special congratulations to our finalists across the large and small bowls tournaments.
“This tournament is a celebration of older people and their right to live independent, full lives in which they can stay socially connected and be active participants in their communities. The more than 450 competitors, volunteer officials and spectators who have joined us in Killarney this week exemplify the drive and self-determination of older people to live their best life in later life.
“We are all ageing, and it cannot be too much to ask that people in Ireland be supported to age well — with dignity, independence and equality. It is time the government took meaningful steps to develop and implement whole-of-government strategies and frameworks to ensure we can.
“Thank you to Hidden Hearing for their generous support of the 2025 National Bowls Competition, and to our wonderful hosts the Gleneagle Hotel and staff for their steadfast recognition of the value and contribution of older people in Irish society and for their ongoing support in making this event possible each year.”
There are 516 local Active Retirement Associations (ARAs) in local communities across Ireland, including in Co Kerry — groups of older people who come together to organise social events and activities to reinforce social connectedness and reduce loneliness — supported by the national body Active Retirement Ireland, Ireland’s largest membership organisation for older people in the country. For more information about Active Retirement Ireland and to find your local group in Co Kerry, see www.activeirl.ie.
