Kilkenny County Council in Ireland is renowned for being the country’s first age-friendly city. Since 2010, the county council has integrated age-friendly designs and policies in Kilkenny’s political structures, physical spaces, institutional frameworks, and daily operations.
This article sheds light on Kilkenny’s experience to contribute to a more inclusive and diverse society.
Background
In 2009, Ireland launched the Age-Friendly Ireland initiative that included supporting local governments across the country in developing age-friendly programs. All of these local programs have developed over the years based on two key bodies: the Age Friendly Alliance and the Older People’s Council.
Following this national drive, Kilkenny implemented its first age friendly strategy in 2010. Since then, Kilkenny has established an age-friendly hospital, train station, hotel and shopping center.
Alongside dedicated programmes, the age-friendly goals and objectives are also reflected in Kilkenny’s local economic and community plan 2023-2028 and Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021-2027. Promoting the greater inclusion and participation of older people, and enhancing their accessibiity to the city services has been an integral part of Kilkenny.
Credit: Age Friendly Kilkenny
Age friendly strategy 2025-2028
In 2025, Kilkenny County Council launched its third age-friendly strategy framework.
In the strategy, the council found out 8 key challenges faced by older people.
- Isolation and loneliness
- Accessing services
- Access to health services
- Digitalization
- Accessing public transportation, especially for older people in remote areas
- Access to information
- Housing, including maintenance, access to housing adaptation support, and housing reconfiguration
- Accessible built environment
Credit: Kilkenny City Council
Action plan
Kilkenny’s age-friendly program is based on the World Health Organization’s age-friendly framework. The framework proposes eight interconnected domains that help to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people.
They are
- Community and health care
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social participation
- Outdoor spaces and building
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation and employment
- Communication and information
Building on WHO’s domains, Kilkenny added three strategic priorities that reflect Kilkenny’s unique context:
- Accessible service
- Diversity and inclusion
- City and county focus, which empahsised equitable and balanced spread of age-friendly activities and resources across Kilkenny City and County (Kilkenny City is the county town and administrative centre)
Plans from the strategic framework
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
Partnering with Age Friendly Ireland, the council supports age-friendly planning by integrating age-friendly principles, concepts, and considerations into local plans.
Best practice in age-friendly and universal design will be promoted by ensuring that the required knowledge and expertise in these fields are embedded in the relevant planning and design teams.
- Transportation
Kilkenny also improves access to public transportation for older people by identifying areas of greatest demand and need for improved transport services with local transportation providers.
Through proactive engagement with Kilkenny’s Older People’s Council, active retirement groups, and other relevant stakeholders, Kilkenny disseminates clear and practical information on all public transport services that are available in Kilkenny city and county.
- Housing
One key action is supporting age-friendly housing provision in all new development areas. It focuses on exploring the scope and capacity to provide dedicated Age-Friendly housing developments in Kilkenny based on best-practice models.
Access to housing assistance schemes for older people and home support includes the Housing Aid for Older People Grant, the Housing Adaptation Grant, and the Mobility Aid Grant.
Moreover, the Age Friendly Healthy Homes Programme supports older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence by providing a range of alternatives for older people who may otherwise transition into long term residential care prematurely.
- Respect and social inclusion
Kilkenny creates new intergenerational projects between older people and younger people in areas like skills exchange; heritage & culture; and shared issues and challenges in contemporary society.
- Social participation
Led by Kilkenny’s Older People’s Council, volunteer opportunities are developed to help older people get involved in local community activities.
Furthermore, all of Kilkenny’s libraries have achieved Age Friendly status, maintaining and enhancing libraries as vital community resources for older people.
- Communication and information
Kilkenny addresses the increasing digital exclusion that many older people experience by providing different community-based courses to enhance digital skills and literacy.
- Civic participation and employment
Kilkenny Age Friendly Business Recognition Programme supports local businesses to integrate Age Friendly supports and services into their businesses. Age friendliness is also an category in the annual Chamber Awards programme.
- Community support and health
Kilkenny support the delivery of Sláintecare, Ireland’s strategy to healthcare and social care reform, at local level and improvements in access to health services for older people.
In terms of safety and security, An Garda Síochána (the national police and security service of Ireland) engages directly with local older people and works closely with Kilkenny Age Friendly Alliance members to ensure that safety and security issues are reported and addressed.
Kilkenny Older People’s Council
Kilkenny Older People’s Council is a notable initiative of Kilkenny’s age-friendly development. It is a formal representation group of older adults in the county who participate in the development, delivery, and monitoring of the Kilkenny age-friendly program. Members include different ethnic and socio-economic groups, as well as those who represent specific groups, such as active retirees.
Members of the Older People’s Councils are represented on local government structures, including
- Local Community Development Committees
- Joint Policing Committee
- The Public Participation Network
- The Integrated Care Pathways for Older People
- The Strategic Policy Committee
Credit: Kilkenny People
Conclusion
Kilkenny shows that local governments can work with older people to create a more inclusive and harmonious intergenerational society. The Older People’s Council, the elderly volunteer program, and intergenerational projects all show that older people have much to offer to society even after retirement. At the same time, it is important for local government to understand their specific demands and ensure that the needs of older people are taken care of.
