Age Friendly Programme
The first Age Friendly programme in Ireland was established in Co Louth in 2008.
Louth County Council was the first local authority in Ireland to launch the Louth Age Friendly County Initiative in November 2008. The initiative was endorsed by the then County Manager who appointed a Project Manager to manage the adoption of the initiative.
The Louth initiative was the original ‘design & build’ approach and informed the models and structures now followed today across the wider network of age friendly city/county programmes.
Older people in Co Louth helped to design and build the Age Friendly model through extensive consultation and engagement. This model which originated in Co Louth in 2008 has now been adopted across all 31 Local Authorities in Ireland.
The main features of the Age Friendly Programme are:
An Older People’s Council (OPC), an Age Friendly Alliance and a local Age Friendly Strategy.
Louth’s Older People’s Council (OPC) represents the voice of older people across Co Louth and is a key component of the structure of Louth’s Age Friendly Programme. The OPC meet regularly to discuss, in an open forum, the issues of interest and those of concern to older people living in Co Louth and ensure a unified strong voice for older people to guide and influence the age friendly programme.
The OPC work in partnership with the local Age Friendly Programme Manager as well as Louth’s Age Friendly Alliance and Interdepartmental Team to inform local and national policy and planning. They contribute to the delivery of initiatives, events and projects in Co Louth and participate in national consultations on issues that affect the lives of older people.
Louth Older People’s Council
Age Friendly Alliance
The Age Friendly Alliance is a high-level cross-sector group, whose member agencies form an overarching strategic partnership involving senior decisionmakers from public, commercial and not-for-profit organisations. The Alliance includes representatives from Louth County Council, An Garda Siochana, Health Service Executive, Transport, and Education. The OPC are also represented on the Alliance. The Alliance oversees the implementation of Louth’s Age Friendly Strategy. Rod Bond is the Chair of the Louth Age Friendly Alliance.
Members of Louth’s Age Friendly Alliance May 2026
Age Friendly Strategy
The new Louth Age Friendly Strategy 2026-2031 places the needs, voices and wellbeing of older people at the heart of community planning and service delivery across the county.
The strategy is based on the 8 themes of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. The new Louth Age Friendly and contains 8 objectives and 28 Actions across each theme.
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Respect and Social Inclusion
- Social Participation
- Communication and Information
- Civic Participation and Employment
- Community Support and Health Services
Launch of Louth Age Friendly Strategy July 2026
The Age Friendly Programme in Co Louth is supported by Gavin Duffy the Louth Age Friendly Ambassador & Sinead McVerry the current Louth Age Friendly Programme Manager.
The Louth Age Friendly Programme hosted by Louth County Council, is part of the national Age Friendly Ireland Programme, which works to make communities more inclusive, supportive and responsive to the needs of older people.
The programme brings local agencies, community organisations and older people together to improve services, promote participation and enhance quality of life across the county. Through initiatives, events and collaborative projects, Age Friendly Louth ensures that the voices and experiences of older people shape local planning, policy and service delivery.
Age Friendly Ireland is the organisation responsible for the national Age Friendly Programme, affiliated to the World Health Organization’s [WHO] Global Network of Age Friendly Cities and Communities. The programme involves a multiagency, multi-sectoral approach to age-related planning and service provision. Age Friendly Ireland supports cities and counties to be more inclusive of older people by addressing their expressed concerns and interests under the eight pillars of the World Health Organization’s global programme.
Age Friendly Ireland operates as a shared service centre of local government hosted by Meath County Council. The shared service centre supports a network of 31 local Age Friendly Programmes which are led by local authorities and which involve many stakeholders from other public bodies, universities, community/voluntary and private sector partners. The shared service supports a number of strategic national structures and provides technical guidance to its networks.
Within the framework of the WHO’s Age Friendly Cities and Communities model, city and county based stakeholders are making commitments to shared action plans addressing pillars spanning housing, our health services, built environment, transport and employment. Under the leadership of
the local authority, governance is anchored in the multi-agency Age-Friendly Alliances, supported by broadly representative Older People’s Councils actively engaged as co-design partners.
Successful Age Friendly Programmes are working to create the kinds of communities in which older people live autonomous, independent and valued lives. To date, the local government led Age Friendly Programmes across Ireland have implemented real change in imaginative and cost-effective ways. Access to outdoor spaces and buildings is fundamental to the vision.
The programme has a strong focus on creating walkable, attractive and accessible communities and age-friendly spaces. By introducing actions to address participation and inequality it is intended that people of all ages will be supported to enjoy healthier, more active and connected lives.
In December 2019 after a decade of work, Ireland was formally recognised by the World Health Organisation as an international leader and the first Age Friendly country in the world.
