One of the big boons of retirement is time to pursue hobbies and interests. So whether you fancy blowing the dust off your trumpet or discovering t'ai chi, you can prove there's a method in your métier, writes ARMINTA WALLACE
PLAY AN INSTRUMENT
How many of us took lessons at school, then let the skills drift away when life became too busy? Liam Maher hadn’t played the trumpet for more than 50 years when he saw an ad in the paper for a project called Blow The Dust Off Your Trumpet at the National Concert Hall. It began with 20 amateur musicians; now more than 60 are involved. They perform every Christmas, and last weekend they had a gig on the same stage as the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, playing a specially composed piece that members of the band helped write.
But don’t you have to be really good to join Blow the Dust? “Oh, I’m not good,” he says. “I have no illusions about my playing – although I’ve got better since I joined. There are lots of guys who played in bands, and one guy who was in the army band. Most people have doodled along on their own.”
Since he lives in Waterford, it does demand a bit of commitment, especially at concert time when the group will be rehearsing for five consecutive days. He’s not the only one who travels: other band members come from Sligo, Mayo and Dundalk.
What does he enjoy most about spending his leisure time in this musical pursuit? “I bought a new trumpet for this, and one of the things that always strikes me is, you go in swinging this thing out of your hand, walking up the steps at the National Concert Hall,” he says. “And that feels good. Everybody in the band realises that this is a really fantastic opportunity. There are other amateur orchestras; there’s Liffey Valley Orchestra, and St Agnes in Crumlin, and Tallaght and so on. But to get a chance to work and play at the National Concert Hall – well, that’s just terrific.”
SWIM IN THE SEA
Once the preserve of nudie men, it’s now open to all sorts of hardy individuals, including Aoibheann O’Sullivan. Born in Zambia, she grew up in South Africa, so one would imagine swimming in Irish waters might strike terror into her heart. Not so; although she admits to being a fair-weather swimmer. “The first time I go down – in April or May – it takes my breath away,” she says. “I just plunge in and get out. Then, slowly, I add a bit more time until, by August, we go and swim round all the buoys and do a kilometre or two.”
But, she says, there is definitely an all-year vibe at Sandycove. She made a film, Forty Foot, about the people who swim there, which won an award for best short Irish film at the Stranger Than Fictionfilm festival in 2009. "People come down with flasks of tea and biscuits and things, and they meet at the same time every day.
There’s a cycle of people who go throughout the day – the 11 O’Clock Club, for instance – and they’re amazing. They’re not giving up when they retire. They’ve got a new lease on life and they all actually look really healthy and vibrant. There’s such good craic down there.
“It gives you such a boost of energy. When you come out, you never regret having jumped in. It’s always worth doing – and that’s what draws you back. You always remember how good you felt after the swim, not how scared of the cold you might have been beforehand.”
LEARN A LANGUAGE
Geraldine Coleman decided to sign up for an evening class in Turkish last September. “I’m really, really enjoying it,” she says. “The course is a mixture of culture and language, it takes place in the arts building in Trinity once a week. It’s run by the Turkish embassy and the teacher, Alev, is really good. She’s very professional. The class is a mixed class with people of all ages from my own, down to girls in their 20s.
“At Christmas we went to the Turkish Irish Education and Cultural Centre – a place I didn’t even know existed – where they gave us lovely food and we met people from the Turkish community in Dublin who were very, very welcoming. That was definitely a highlight.
“Turkish is a difficult language, but I have a good grasp of the basics now and I intend to go on to the intermediary course after this one. I have an apartment in Turkey and I really need to be able to introduce myself to people, to ask how they are and how’s their family, to be able to go to a restaurant and order food and so on. So it’s great that I have a few words now. Not many, but I’m loving it.”
PAINTING
When he retired, Jack Fitzgerald was given a little gentle encouragement by his wife Sighle to join the Kilmacud Art Group. Now he exhibits, and sells, his paintings at their annual show.
“I always had a grá for the natural world, and loved to admire a sunset or the colours of the seasons,” he says. “And I’ve enjoyed painting so much over the years. I’ve had a great teacher in Mary Nolan. She’s a great leader – very helpful and encouraging.”
What does he enjoy most about painting? “Well, creating something that wasn’t there – and communing with nature,” he says. “Being able to try to put a reflection of what you see on paper. Then you’re satisfied or not satisfied. But with a bit of help you can turn out something good.”
Does painting make you more observant? “Oh it sharpens you up all right.”
HIKING
Hill-walking has become massively popular in Ireland and it’s easy to see why. The delights of mountain, stream and forest – and all that fresh, fresh air – are undoubtedly addictive; there are walks to suit all ages and levels of fitness; and all you need to get you started is a good pair of boots and a map.
Upside:It's free, it's glorious and we have some of Europe's best unspoiled countryside.
Downside:Those days when it rains from the moment you step out of the car until the moment you squelch back in again. But they're much less common than you might think
COMPUTE
Okay, so technology is a mixed blessing, and you may have decided that social networking is an unmitigated curse: but what if you dig a bit deeper, and find out how to do all the things that most of us who use computers just skip over? Whether it’s making the most of your digital camera, creating podcasts for family members overseas, or getting involved in online eco-activism, the world is your digital oyster.
Upside:You probably already have the equipment and you know how to switch it on.
Downside: It can seem a lot like work already.
CHILL
Now that it is being studied, scientists are beginning to agree that t’ai chi really does do what us fans have always said it does: it makes you feel better, it makes you sleep better, improves your posture and help combat arthritis. A good teacher is vital. Once you learn the principles, you can decide whether to stick with t’ai chi for health, move in a more martial direction, or investigate the Chinese philosophy of Daoism, of which t’ai chi – along with acupuncture, calligraphy and poetry – is an integral part. It is, they say, a lifelong journey.
Upside: A good one for the guys; there are always more men than women in classes.
Downside: It's hard to memorise the sequences. But that probably helps combat Alzheimer's.
READ
Join or start a book club. It can either be a way of getting friends together on a regular basis, or a way of meeting new people in your area. Your local library is a good place to start; most of them have reading groups of various kinds already and can offer advice on where to begin, how to choose books and so on.
Upside: It's warm, it's cheap and it often involves a glass or two of vino.
Downside :You'll undoubtedly have to read books you wouldn't normally touch with a bargepole.
SING
One of Ireland’s foremost singing teachers Veronica “Ronnie” Dunne liked to say that everybody should take singing lessons in later life. All that deep and steady breathing is good for the body – and the music, whether you choose to join a choral society, take private lessons or form your own glee club with a group of friends, is good for the soul.
Upside: You'll be a legend in your own bath-time.
Downside: You may be called upon to perform at weddings.
STUDY
University College, Dublin currently offers among many other part-time courses: A Basic Understanding of Human Rights, Masterpieces of Czech Literatureand The Irish Medieval Town(the latter comes complete with field trips). Trinity College, Dublin, has everything from The Enlightenment and Its Legacy to Neuroscience: The 21st-Century Brain. At a college near you, you'll find hundreds of other options.
Upside:Vast choice of subjects, top-notch lecturers, and you get to hang out in an environment that is intellectually, not to mention socially, stimulating.
Downside:Can be expensive and if you opt for an accredited course, you'll have to (gulp) submit essays.
