Former school principal Barth Harrington has found his rhythm in retirement. As a lifelong lover of music, that’s exactly as it should be.
Because he spent decades nurturing his passions for music, musicals and community involvement, Harrington had plenty to look forward to when the time came to step away from his much-loved day job.
In fact, the big question is how he ever found the time to work, he says with a laugh.
A resident of Enniskeane in west Cork, Harrington grew up in Cork city and studied to be a teacher in Limerick.
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In 1995 he became principal of a primary school in Clonakilty, Scoil na mBuachaillí, where he stayed until he retired, aged 63, two years ago.
As befits a skilled musician, his timing was perfect. “I always said I wanted to retire at 63. That was always the plan,” he says.
Busy keeping busy
Throughout his life, he has cultivated a range of hobbies. Chief among them is household DIY, something he learned from a young age.
“My father was fabulous at it and taught us everything, from woodwork to electrical work. It used to feel like a curse at the time because we’d be out working with him every Saturday, but now I’m blessed,” says Harrington.
He put those skills to good use in his school over the course of his working life, building stages and scenery for plays and musicals, and teaching students about DIY.
Over the years, he has “done an awful lot of work at home”. He adds: “I’ve always been active. I can’t sit around. So when I retired, I made a long list of stuff to do and have been just happy out.”
That included painting and decorating, building a log storage unit, and teaching himself to slate the roof. “I’m slow, but I can do it,” he says.
Play on
As a talented singer-songwriter, when he’s not tapping out a beat with a hammer, he’s likely strumming a guitar in one of several musical venues.
His musicianship stems from a love of legendary rock star Rory Gallagher, who inspired him to learn the guitar. “I just absolutely adored him and went to all his concerts,” recalls Harrington.
Around 10 years ago, he began joining music sessions at a local pub in Clonakilty, which he enjoyed enormously.
He went on to form a band of his own, Barth Harrington & Friends, which plays regularly in the town and has performed at the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival. His band is made up of a diverse range of instruments – and ages. “I’m 65, our drummer is 16,” he explains.
It was the very first gig he did with his band that he credits as being most transformational. “I think that changed my life, because it was the first year of my retirement and Ray, the owner of the venue, asked me to do it at Christmas, so I had six months to get ready, which gave me a total focus,” he says.
“I had never been on stage. All my past pupils had been on the stage but I’d never [done that]. It just opened my whole world, really.”
When he is not playing at Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, he helps out as part of its sound crew.
Retirement also allows Harrington to focus on chess, which he learned in primary school and has kept up throughout his life, including teaching it. Now he looks after the west Cork section of Ficheall, a network of teachers that promotes chess in schools for its social and cognitive benefits.
Ready to retire
Knowing he had a “decent” pension as a school principal helped, but having so many interests has made the transition to retirement significantly easier.
“It was very easy actually. I’ve definitely missed the kids, but the chess has helped with that and whenever I’m in Clon, I can’t go down the town without meeting kids, which is always lovely,” he says.
A happy retirement is not just about hobbies and interests either. “My mother is 87 this year and, for example, today we were up shopping together,” he says.
“I used to go and see her on a Wednesday night, but I used to just fall asleep [because] I was so tired. Now I can meet her all the time.”
With his two adult children having left home, he and his wife are also taking the opportunity to travel more, including a recent bucket-list trip to China.
Pursuing his hobbies and interests doesn’t just keep Harrington active, it makes him more social than he might otherwise be. He illustrates this point by saying he is otherwise “very happy in my own company”.
This way, “I get to meet lots of people,” he says of pursuing his hobbies.
He knows how lucky he is. He recently met a man who said he was “afraid to retire because all he does is watch television“.
Harrington’s advice? Find yourself a good hobby and throw yourself into it.
From doing what you’ve always loved to trying something you never imagined, explore what being ready for retirement could mean for you with Standard Life at standardlife.ie
Second Lives, brought to you by Standard Life, explores the many different ways life can unfold in retirement, through the stories of people living it.
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