louth Age Friendly Annual Report

Louth Age Friendly County This is the first Annual Report of the Louth Age Friendly County Alliance on the Louth Age Friendly County Initiative. The Initiative was launched in Dundalk in November 2008, by Dermot Ahern, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Before this, Dundalk and its Institute of Technology led the way as the Irish participants in an international project on Age Friendly Cities sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2007. The Louth Age Friendly County Strategy document was launched by Ms Aine Brady, TD, Minister for Older People in November 2009 in Drogheda. The strategy is aligned to the WHO 8 point framework arising out of the international study project on 33 cities in 2007. In 2009 an emphasis was placed on putting the corner stones in place to anchor the initiative in a solid setting. The Louth Age Friendly County Strategy was developed and went through an extensive public consultation process culminating in its launch in November 2009. Branding for the initiative was agreed and a website domain was purchased. DkIT commenced a baseline data survey on services for older people.

Louth Age Friendly Alliance The Louth Age Friendly Alliance (AFA) is a high level strategic group made up of officials from the Local Authority, the HSE, Ageing Well Network, SEI, the LOPF, Irish Council of Social Housing, the IFA, DkIT and the Netwell Centre and An Garda Siochana. The AFA is tasked with the overall implementation of the Louth Age Friendly County Strategy and forming strategic alliances to ensure its implementation.

Louth Older People’s Forum (LOPF) The Louth Older People’s Forum was established during 2009. The structure of the forum was agreed by Older People during 4 workshops held in Drogheda and Dundalk and comprises of Older People’s Groups, Advocacy Groups, Nursing Homes, Day Care Centres and individuals. There are 66 people registered with the Forum to date. An executive working group of 12 people has been elected and has formally met on a monthly basis since its inception.

As part of the Terms of Reference of the LOPF it was agreed that the Forum would formulate an action plan on a yearly basis. The policy day held in the Westcourt Hotel identified actions around 6 priority area: • Safety and Security • Housing Adaptations • Home Supports • Transport • Volunteering • Sports

Research Baseline Data Research Over 1200 older people throughout the county have been identified and contacted through a randomised process to participate in the baseline study. The survey format has been carefully designed to focus on providing a qualitative and quantitative benchmark for future service design and delivery, that maps into both the World Health Organisation global age-friendly cities framework as well as the national TILDA study managed by TCD. To-date 250 respondents have been completed, and the study is on course to have 500 by May, 750 by the end of July and 1000 by the end of September. Initial analysis and outputs from the first 250 participants will be reported in May both locally and to the international research community.

Strategic Delivery

Outdoor Spaces and Buildings What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 Public spaces often don’t have resting places or access to toilets 2 For older pedestrians there are problems with traffic lights when there’s not enough time to cross 3 Footpaths often have obstructions

Establish a New Parks Programme Dundalk has a number of public parks and open spaces which include St Helena’s Park, Ice House Hill, Fairgreen, and Clarkes Forest (currently under development). There are a number of open spaces dispersed throughout the town centre’s residential areas. Drogheda is also well served with parks including St. Dominic’s, the Glen, Ropewalk and the Buttergate. Again there are a number of open spaces located throughout the town. There is one community owned park in the county located at Stephenstown Pond, Knockbridge. The Culture Forum of the Louth County Development Board is examining the potential of accessing the Cu Chulainn stone at Rathiddy, with the landowner. There are also plans to open up access to grounds of St Joseph’s Nursing Home, Ardee to allow easy access to the town and create walking opportunities for an Age Friendly Town.

Walkability Programmes There are 4 Sli na Slainte routes in Co Louth, Drogheda, Dundalk, Blackrock & Carlingford, 4 Virtual Sli na Slainte routes, Darver, Stephenstown Pond, Scoil Ui Mhuiri & DkIT.

The Netwell Centre, DkIT is investigating how the outdoor environment restricts active ageing. Barriers to ageing are rarely considered in a comprehensive way in terms of both planning and design guidelines as well as all the features which enable participation such as appropriate public seating, well-maintained pavements, green spaces, bus shelters etc. DkIT students, under the guidance of researchers in the Netwell Centre, will be walking the streets of Dundalk over the coming months to conduct a full audit. Their results will help to identify how our outdoor environment poses problems for older residents.

For further information, contact Dr Lucia Carragher t + 353 42 9370347 e lucia.carragher@dkit.ie

Transportation What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 Public buses don’t always go where we want them to or can be difficult to access 2 There are many under-used public transport vehicles 3 Transport service providers don’t always understand the needs of older people 4 Many older private car drivers have difficulties finding suitable parking and/ or getting in and out of cars

Conduct a Transport Audit Louth County Council secured a grant from the Department of Transport to carry out a study on transport routes and services in the county. Within the overall objectives, the study Terms of Reference envisages three specific components: • Identifying passenger transport needs of key target groups in the county, both met demand and latent demand, and comparing this to existing supply; • Identifying the cost of the current system, designing more optimal solutions and offsetting the costs of these solutions; • Addressing how to deliver and manage this new improved network. During the audit a consultation was held with members of the Louth Older People’s Forum. The two primary needs identified by older people are communication on public transport times and destinations and coordination of all services emanating from a central location. The audit involves a 9 phase work plan. It is expected that a full draft report for the study will be complete in the second half of January, with the final report completed by early to mid-February.

Housing What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 Houses need to be adapted as people get older and frailer 2 Many older people don’t feel safe in their own homes and neighbourhoods 3 Older people need more choice of types of housing

Barrack St Development The Barrack St., development, now named the Great Northern Haven, has now been completed and is ready for occupancy. This is a demonstration housing project of 16 ‘aware’ homes and represents a unique collaboration between Dundalk Town Council, the HSE Northeast and DkIT Research in the project is supported by the University of Ulster, Dublin City University and SEI. The project can enhance the quality of life of older people through the provision of an integrated, community-oriented housing and care model that incorporates innovations in sustainable design, smart living technologies, and person-centred community and health support. Interested occupants joined in a preview of the scheme on the 12th march and are extremely positive about living there. The project has stimulated significant interest regionally and nationally, where it is seen as a model to replicate and learn from.

Staying at Home Housing Aid, Repair and Adaptation Scheme for Older People. The Housing Directorate of Louth County Council is carrying out a study to propose an improved approach to the allocation of resources under the Housing Aid, Repair and Adaptation Scheme for Older People. A study is proposed to re-engineer the business process to achieve a better resource allocation that improves the balance between needs, impact and efficacy. The study should: • Consider a holistic cost/benefit model to establish a layered framework for evaluation and decision making

• Examine some existing patterns and processes of needs assessment and resource allocation to gain a deeper understanding of the operation of existing processes within the scheme and how costs and gains are reconciled currently • Re-design the business process to achieve a more effective and equitable distribution of resources • Validate and verify the re-designed process through simulation and consultation to confirm it is useable, robust, equitable and efficient • Consider the transitional needs (training, awareness etc) to introduce and implement the revised scheme.

Tele-health & Tele-care Projects County Louth is establishing itself as an important location with the appropriate infrastructure to support telehealthcare trials. This offers the opportunity for residents and service providers to gain the early benefits of technology and service innovations, while providing industrial partners with a location and community to work with ‘whole system’ deployments. The feedback and learning from these trials can inform better product and service design as well as provide the necessary evidence for broader adoption. Several projects are now in train: • Working with Bosh Healthcare from Germany and McElwaineSmart in Fermanagh, 40 clients in Co Louth are participating in a study focusing on chronic diseases such as diabetes and congestive heart failure. The in-home technology is promoting older people’s self-management of the condition, and it is supported by remote monitoring by a triage nurse. In the event of a change in condition, an alert can be sent to the supervising clinical nurse specialist who can advise on early interventions. 8

• The cross-border health services programme, Co-operating and Working Together (CAWT) is promoting technology use for health and well-being throughout the border counties. Louth and Newry are working together to bring technologies to older people in both urban and rural settings to promote independence and social interdependence. This project is in the design and setup phase and will impact on 120 older people over the next 3 years. • Louth Local Authorities, the HSE and DkIT have also been successful in a paneuropean project where 4 countries are collaborating in a shared demonstration pilot to evaluate the challenges and impact of broader teleheathcare service use. The Home Sweet Home project was launched in Brussels on the1st of March, and will bring an integrated suite of home-based services to 30 participants. • Home Solutions in a telehealthcare technology demonstration project organised by the HSE nationally. Coordinated in Louth by our service brokers, 15 residents throughout the county are participating.Assisting private drivers

Nursing Home Care Most of us will continue to live in our own home as we age, receiving any assistance we may need with activities of daily living. However, a minority will require a level of care that is only available in a nursing home. Moving to a nursing home is a significant life change for an older person requiring many adjustments to their daily routines and established patterns of living. The traditional culture of care in nursing homes has been informed and shaped by the medical tasks and care routines of health care professionals for whom it can be difficult to appreciate that the’ nursing home’ is ‘home’ for residents. The Teaghlach Project aims to change the culture of care in nursing homes from the predominant task-orientated model to one which supports residents to direct their own lives supported by consistent and valued health and social care teams in an environment reflective as much as possible of the older person’s own home. Researchers in the Netwell Centre, DkIT, will explore the views and experiences of residents and staff as they undertake cultural and environmental changes in their nursing home, documenting changes in working practices, daily routines and relationships over time. For further information, contact Rodd Bond t + 353 42 9370497 e rodd.bond@dkit.ie

Respect And Social Inclusion What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 Many older people, particularly those living alone and in rural areas are lonely 2 There need to be more opportunities for men to become involved 3 Older people are often depicted in the media and elsewhere as being frail and burdens on society

Louth Older People’s Forum The Louth Older People’s Forum was established during 2009. The structure of the forum was agreed by Older People during 4 workshops held in Drogheda and Dundalk and comprises of Older People’s Groups, Advocacy Groups, Nursing Homes, Day Care Centres and individuals. There are 66 people registered with the Forum to date. An executive working group of 12 people has been elected and has formally met on a monthly basis since its inception. Three countywide meetings of the wider Older People’s Forum were held in 2009. The first significant action undertaken by the LOPF was the management and hosting of a seminar in November 2009 which officially launched the Louth Age Friendly County Strategy document and the Citizen’s Information Services Directory of Services. The forum engaged in the transport audit public consultation process in December 2009.

Men’s Clubs Men’s Walking Groups On National Heart day 27th September a group of older men met at Darver with the view to setting up a men’s walking group in partnership with the GAA. The walk was led by LCC’s Recreation Officer, Noel Redmond. It is planned to expand this walking programme to the GAA clubs of St Mochta’s and Mattock Rangers.

Nestling Project The Seagull Club: A group of 17 men meet weekly as it suits them in Aiken Barracks. They are welcomed with tea/coffee and snacks. Guest speakers are invited to discuss a wide variety of activities available in Dundalk e.g. Tai Chi, bee keeping, creative art etc. The men enjoy the social interaction.

Age Awareness Training The Netwell Centre, based in DkIT, has been awarded â&#x201A;Ź30,000 under the European Union's Peace III Programme as awarded by Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership. The Respect Project aims to reinforce peace and reconciliation through enhanced cross-community understanding. It is a research and training initiative involving Home Support Workers and particularly foreign employees. Migrant care workers make an important contribution to supporting vulnerable older people to continue to live in their own homes and communities. Yet the contribution these workers make to the economic and social life of the north east is often overlooked because so little is known of their experiences at work and in the community. Lack of knowledge and cultural understanding can in turn have a destabilising effect in host communities. Through the Respect Project, the Netwell Centre hopes to raise awareness of cultural diversity and in doing so support care workers, migrant and indigenous, to provide the best possible care they can to older people. For further information, contact Dr Lucia Carragher t + 353 42 9370347 e lucia.carragher@dkit.ie

Positive Ageing Campaign During Positive Ageing Week Drogheda Senior Citizens arranged Walks on World Heart Day, a 50s night, line dancing, GAA video, water aerobics, bowls and crochet /knitting sessions.

Age Friendly Initiatives in Louth County Library Library staff gave information sessions on library services to members of the Nestling Project on a number of occasions during 2009. Tours of Dundalk branch were also provided for various elderly groups.

Positive Ageing Week was marked by a photographic exhibition and also a number of talks on genealogy and life skills. Dundalk FM broadcast “The Harry Lee” show from Dundalk Library twice during 2009. A number of older library members spoke on the show of what the library means to them and highlighted many of the services available to older people.

IT Initiatives in Louth County Library Louth County Libraries are involved in two initiatives with Age Action Ireland and an eLearning project with FÁS, to encourage older people to learn new computer skills and mobile phone training in their local library. These classes run a number of times a week in Dundalk, Drogheda & Ardee branches. “Silver Surfer” computer classes are also ongoing in all branches.

Bealtaine Festival—Louth County Libraries During the Bealtaine Festival, a wide range of exhibitions, talks, demonstrations and classes took place, to great receptions in many of the branches. The annual table quiz for the over 55’s took place during Bealtaine and at Christmas in Dundalk Library.

Social Participation What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 There are very limited opportunities for older people to interact with younger people 2 There are few places for older people to go to, to socialise

Intergenerational Programme Spiral The Netwell Centre, DkIT, has received â&#x201A;Ź238,382 under the European Union's PEACE III Programme as awarded by Louth Peace and Reconciliation Partnership for the SPIRAL project. SPIRAL, an acronym for Storytelling to Promote Intergenerational Reconciliation And Learning, aims to use storytelling to facilitate an understanding of the past and a greater appreciation of the benefits of peace in the northeast cross-border region. It will create opportunities for conversation between different generations and within different generational groups, drawing on life stories to promote positive relations and a shared understanding. As a border region with Northern Ireland, the community in County Louth was geographically and psychologically close to the conflict in the North. Over the years of the troubles (1979 to 1994/95), as tensions escalated into violence and ebbed towards peace, the lives, relationships and routines of people living in County Louth were affected in many different ways. Yet we have limited knowledge on this; what affect the conflict/border had on the daily routines of ordinary people, on relationships either side of the border or the health implications of protracted conflict. Having access to such knowledge may hold important learning opportunities for young people today. With the ceasefires now more than a decade and a half old, young people in County Louth have limited knowledge or understanding of its human repercussions. At the same time, the situation in Northern Ireland remains fragile with tensions increasing as disagreement around devolution continues to fuel disaffection among republican supporters. The SPIRAL Project will use real people to get the message of peace and

reconciliation across to young people, particularly vulnerable young people who may be at risk of getting caught up in the conflict, should it return. Through life stories, community based older adults will be supported to tell their stories and share their learning experiences. Helping to raise awareness of the impact of community conflict and its human repercussions can help young people to develop skills to equip them to deal with difficult situations in a more positive way. For further information, contact Dr Lucia Carragher t + 353 42 9370347 e lucia.carragher@dkit.ie

St Oliver’s Nursing Home and Scoil Mhuire na nGael Intergenerational Programme A class of pupils from Scoil Mhuire na nGael, Bay Estate, Dundalk visits the residents in St Oliver’s Nursing Home and Day Care clients to undertake various social activities on a three week basis. The aim of the programme is to bridge the gap between the two generations, project a positive image of older people and to provide a sense of occasion and enjoyment for the patients. The programme also provides a greater awareness in younger people to the needs of older people. The programme has been funded in part by the Louth Age Friendly County Alliance. It is a model which can inspire other schools and Nursing Homes to replicate.

Older People’s Local Sports Programme Boccia and Kurling Louth Local Sports Partnership received a grant of €2,312.38 from Louth Age Friendly Alliance in order to buy equipment and run Boccia and New Age Kurling for Older Adults. Four Boccia and New Age Kurling Sets were purchased and subsequently two sessions were run in Ballsgrove Community Centre, Drogheda and Redeemer Family Resource Centre, Dundalk. In Drogheda, Mary Alyward, a Louth Sports Partnership tutor, hosted the Boccia and Kurling on Tuesday Mornings. Initially the sessions had a low uptake with eight to ten

people attending for the first two weeks. After re-advertising the sessions, there was an increase in participants and now 27 people take part weekly. In Dundalk the sessions were hosted by work placement students from DKIT who were on placement with Louth Local Sports Partnership. The attendance for this session was extremely low. The Boccia and New Age Kurling sessions were moved to St. Oliver Plunkettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day care facility in the Louth Hospital on Thursday mornings. The students and the activities were received with great enthusiasm. Within the day care centre over thirty people participated weekly in the sessions.

Sports Festivals Louth Local Sports Partnership organised three older adults activity festivals in 2009 - 111 people took part in these festivals from a wide variety of older adults groups in the County. Participants had the opportunity to meet other groups along with trying out activities such as Boccia, Kurling, Tai Chi, Line Dancing, Zumba Dance and Parachute activities.

Physical Activity Leader PALs (Physical Activity Leader) training also took place in the County for the first time in over five years. This course is designed to train leaders from active retirement groups to lead their own group in a range of physical activities. The course took place in Ardee in September and October and 10 new PALs from the Louth area were trained.

Go For Life Louth LSP also organised a grants information workshop for older adults groups on the Go for Life grant scheme for sport and physical activity for older people. €9,900 was awarded to groups from the Louth area and all groups that attended the workshop who applied for the scheme were successful in their applications

FitLine The FitLine project was piloted in the Louth area in 2009 by Louth LSP and Go for Life. This is a phone support service for those aged 50+ who want to access information and support to become more active. The phone calls are made by trained older adult mentors from the offices of the Drogheda Senior Citizen’s Group. Nine mentors were trained over the course of 2009. Calls are made to people who register with the FitLine every two weeks and participants are encouraged to set physical activity goals, receive support and encouragement and assistance with motivation. 22 people registered with the project in 2009 and it is set to continue in 2010.

Meeting Places An audit of all Sports, Arts & Community facilities was carried out by Louth County Council in terms of location, ownership, purpose, and mutli-purpose use. DkIT are currently plotting the centres on the GIS system which will ultimately be available on the Louth Age Friendly County website.

Volunteer Programme Louth County Development Board funded Drogheda Volunteer Centre to change its name to Louth Volunteer Centre. The grant also covers the cost of a part-time worker located in Dundalk on a 1 day per week basis to promote the volunteer centre with particular emphasis on Older People’s Groups. Drogheda Senior Citizens Group and Cuidigh Linn run befriending services, bereavement counselling services, information support, provision of panic buttons, care and repair services, liaison services with the HSE, hospitals, Public Health Nurses, Gardai etc. Other initiatives run by Drogheda Senior Citizens group include Failte Isteach and Good Morning Drogheda. In June 2009 the Drogheda Senior Citizens Groups launched the Senior Help line operating from Drogheda.

Communication and Information What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 What you have told us are the challenges 2 Its difficult to know where you can get information you need, for example on supports and services – there is no one place to source it 3 Sometimes the information available is complicated and difficult to understand

‘One Stop Shop’ Information Programme Launch of Louth Citizen’s Information Services Booklet. As feedback from the first Age Friendly County Seminar in November 2008, the priority action requested by the older people during the workshops held on that day was access to information on entitlements. As a result of this request the Louth Citizen’s Information Services produced a booklet entitled “Supports for Older People in the Louth Area”. The booklet covers information on supports for people living at home, people considering living in nursing homes or already in nursing homes, care supports for older people, home improvement grants, transport and mobility, community support services, safety and protection and positive ageing. The booklet was launched by Ms Aine Brady, TD, Minister for Older People at the Age Friendly County seminar on the 6th November 2009. Marie Hayes and the staff of the Louth Citizen’s Information Services together with Catherine McHugh, Chair of the Board and the Board members, are to be commended for this pioneering piece of work which will be of huge benefit to the older people of Louth and the wider area. To date the booklet has been extremely well received by the older people of Louth.

The Forum and Local Public Meetings During 2009 there were 4 public meetings held during the public consultation process of the drafting of the Louth Age Friendly County Strategy Document. The meetings were held in Carlingford, Dundalk, Ardee and Drogheda. The Louth Age Friendly County Alliance hosted 2 seminars during 2009 the first in March and the second in November with 130 plus people attending both events.

There were 4 workshops held in Drogheda and Dundalk to establish the format and structure of the Older People’s Forum. Subsequently, there were 3 Full Forum meetings held and 3 Executive meetings held. There was also a consultation meeting between the Executive of the Forum and the consultants carrying out the transport audit.

Age Friendly Branding The communications group of the Louth Age Friendly County Alliance agreed a branding for the Louth Age Friendly County Initiative. The branding focuses on the eight strategic objectives of the Louth Age Friendly County Strategy which mirror the eight action areas recommended by the World Health Organisation. The branding consists of 8 coloured petals spreading out representing the evolution of the initiative as it grows. This branding can be replicated by other counties should they wish to use it.

‘Digital Divide’ Programme Over 1,500 older people trained in IT in Louth through Louth Leader Partnership, LCC libraries and Age Action. Training was delivered in PC skills with particular emphasis on email, website, skype. Gadget training was also delivered in mobile phones, digital cameras and iPods. The ICT volunteer of the year award went to Stella Connor, Lourdes Centre, Drogheda in the first ever national awards presented by Age Action.

Civic Participation and Employment What You Have Told Us are the Challenges 1 It can be dreadful to have to retire when you don’t want to 2 There should be more opportunities to continue working or doing different type of work 3 Many older people are afraid of not being able to afford the things they might need in their later years – health care

Senior ‘Start Your Own Business’ Programme Drogheda Senior Citizen’s Group & Cuidigh Linn operate the Care and Repair Service. Contact Andrea and DSCG

Community Support and Health Services What You Have Told Us Are The Challenges 1 Health services aren’t geared around the needs of older people, or you have to go to many different places for them 2 There aren’t enough facilities for support when you leave hospital

Health Pathways Programme The AFC Executive Committee has formed a steering group to work on the service design, site definition and job specification phase for an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) for Older People’s Services in the Community. Supported by a grant from the National Council for Nursing and Midwifry, a researcher has been recruited to develop the site plan for this innovative role. The ANP service design underway is shaping the opportunity to put in place a series of ‘pathway’ health programmes, intended to enable older people with specific problems to access specialist clinics and services, and will also provide capacity to case-manage several medium to high risk clients. The service design process will also identify how a future preventative screening programme can dovetail into overall service delivery for older people. The role of home-based technology is seen as central to both the quality and scalability of these services, as is the role of the service brokers in ensuring the broader context of the older people’s well-being is considered and understood.

News from the Louth Older People’s Groups The Nestling Project The Nestling Project promotes independent living for older people. We support older people to make choices about the services that they need. We assist with form filling and accessing a wide range of voluntary, social, and health services. Pat Kerins and Ann Marron advocate for older people ensuring that their voices are heard. They strengthen local community by organising social activities and events requested by the older people whom they visit in their homes. Some examples of the services Ann and Pat organise include; • Day trips every 6 weeks for dinner, a chat and entertainment. • The Seagull Club: A group of 17 men meet weekly as it suits them in Aiken Barrack. They are welcomed with tea/coffee and snacks. Guest speakers are invited to discuss a wide variety of activities available in Dundalk e.g. Tai Chi, bee keeping, creative art. The men enjoy the social interaction. • A women’s weekly group meet in Ard na Solas, Lios na Dara, to socialise. This meeting commenced in June 2009 for 10 weeks of cookery demonstrations which was followed by 6 weeks of Tai Chi. Currently a “Go for Life” PAL is training the group in Line Dancing as requested by some members. Guest speakers also share information on local activities and services. • For those who do not attend the group meetings for a variety of reasons, home visits are provided by volunteers for one hour each week For further information, contact The Nestling Project Pat Kerins Ann Marron t + 353 42 9370531 t + 353 42 9391078 e patrick.kerins@dkit.ie e ann.marron@dkit.ie

Ardee Active Retirement Thirty eight members of Ardee Active Retirement spread their wings [with a little help from Aer Lingus] and headed for a holiday in Vienna on the 26th of November. The group had a half day guided city tour on Friday and that night went to a magical Strauss Concert at which they waltzed down the 'Blue Danube' and' marched' with Radensky through the 'Vienna Woods'. The group spent most of Saturday in the beautiful Hoffburg Castle belonging to the Habsburg Royal Family. On Sunday morning they attended Mass at which the world famous Vienna Boys Choir sang, this was a very uplifting experience, Many of their group also went to see Shonnbronn,The Albertina Art Gallery, The Christmas market and of course the Opera. On Sunday night they had a Gala Dinner and afterwards a singsong. 'The Turfman from Ardee' strutted with 'Molly Malone' around 'The four Green Fields' and The Rose of Tralee' swam 'Galway Bay' The 'Oldest Swingers in Town' eventually retired at a very late hour. On Monday they were guests of the Irish Ambassador in the Irish Embassy. They had a lovely lunch there. That night as they 'winged our way' home they were flying high on memories, pleasures and treasured moments in Vienna.

Notes