When: 29 Oct 2021
This October, Friends of the Elderly celebrated their 40th birthday at the Bonnington Hotel in Dublin. Although the organization technically came to Ireland 40 years ago last year, we were unable to mark this occasion properly at that time due to COVID-19 restrictions, and we decided, ‘Better late than never!’
If anything, this anniversary means more to us now than it would have before the pandemic began. The event was originally planned to simply be a party but ultimately evolved into what The Irish Times called a ‘celebration of hope’.
After everything the last 18 months have brought us, this celebration was a reminder of everything we overcame to get to where we are now, but more importantly, it was a reminder of how much we cherish being among friends.
Our friends in attendance included staff, volunteers, members, and even representatives from the organization’s French branch. Together, we enjoyed a delicious meal and an evening of live music, and we made more good memories that night than we have time to share!
It was simply a joy to be among friends again after such a long time apart. Still, we took every precaution in the planning of this event. We ensured that all attendees were vaccinated and organized for all guests to be antigen tested upon arrival.