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Irish Independent

NUJ's Seamus Dooley to focus on ‘giving older people a voice' while representing Offaly in new ambassador role

While he is now based in Dublin, Seamus will represent his hometown in Co. Offaly, taking over the role from former Offaly hurler and two-time All-Ireland winner Michael Duignan. He joins Ireland's network of high-profile ambassadors from the worlds of entertainment, business, sport and public service — including Francis Brennan, Gavin Duffy, Sandy Kelly, Geraldine Plunkett and Celia Holman Lee. Seamus is from Ferbane, Co. Offaly and began his career at the Tullamore Tribune where he always had an interest in writing and learning more about accessible living. At the beginning of his journalism career in 1981, one of the first pieces Seamus worked on was about inaccessibility in Tullamore town for those with disabilities and for older people. 'One of the jobs my editor gave to me at the time was to spend the day in a wheelchair and see how difficult it is getting around the town. 'One of the priorities of the Offaly County Council long-term plan now is creating age friendly towns and making towns more accessible. So it's almost like the wheel is turning full circle,' Seamus said. During his remit, he will be ensuring that all voices are valued and Seamus said he would also like to explore the stereotyping of older people nationwide. He added that rural isolation is a 'big issue' in the midlands and that there are 'untapped resources that people need to know about', such as social meet ups that could help combat these issues. The new ambassador will spread awareness about what particular schemes and support is available in localities, such as the Age Friendly Ambassador scheme. The theme of this year's Age Friendly Ireland Ambassadors' Day was 'Wellbeing in Later Life — Physical, Mental and Emotional Health'. The event shone a light on the lived realities of ageing in Ireland, where the over-65 population is expected to double by 2050.