Community
PHOTOS The Grey Hares Ensemble celebrates one year of community connection in Limerick
The Grey Hares Ensemble are celebrating their 1st birthday and invite Limerick’s older residents to join a unique their initiative offering a social and spiritual support network. Picture:
Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick
The Grey Hares Ensemble marks one year of creating an inclusive space for older Limerick people to explore the ageing process through creativity and reflection

Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick
The Grey Hares Ensemble this week celebrated its first anniversary, bringing a unique community group to Limerick for people over 60, creating an inclusive, joyful space where individuals over 60 can explore the ageing process through song, storytelling, and communal interaction.
The past year has seen the Grey Hares grow in membership from their small group to a total of 32 members, with founder, Dr Nóirín Ní Riain, saying the group has come a long way on its journey.
Nóirín said, “ It’s a community group, an ensemble. And we have six principles that we work out of. The first is that we support one another by getting together. The second is social, and then we have service. As we age, we want to be of service to people. The group is a social and spiritual support network for those navigating the later stages of life. Inspired by the belief that ageing with creativity and humour can lead to a more fulfilling and enriched life, the ensemble aims to combat the isolation, loneliness, and anxiety often experienced in the post-retirement years.”
“Then the next one is smile. And we love doing that because when you put on a smile, you express joy, and then when you express joy, you start to smile. Then we sing, so we’d have a little time for singing. Then the most important one, as we age, you’ll find that when you come to our age, your soul is untouched by time. So that’s the spiritual. The final is our time together; we spend two hours together every two weeks on a Wednesday.”
One founding member, Marie Richardson, told I Love Limerick that being with the Grey Hares Ensemble has been a “wonderful” journey, she said, “ There’s something really powerful when people kind of connect, and we’ve connected at so many different levels, just exactly as Nóirín has explained. But we have had a lot of joie de vivre, a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, a lot of irreverence and a lot of really deep sharing as well.”
Another member, Eileen, explained that the group has “lifted” her spirits and allowed them to create a sense of community. Eileen said, “ I suppose it lifted my spirits, because we are in other active retired clubs where everybody sits around and just chatters. This one, we’d go in the morning, and we meet every two weeks. We never knew each other before, and we left it all smiley.”

Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick
Fellow member, Val added, “ We love it! Every two weeks, it’s just fun. Nóirín, of course, is brilliant. Nóirín is lovely. We found a family in the world for us.”
The celebratory event was capped off with the presentation of an art piece made to Noirín to mark the milestone for the group as they look toward marking future anniversaries and creating a welcoming community.
The Grey Hares meet every fortnight at the Redemptorist Centre of Music on Island Road, Limerick City, V94 P0A9.
If you are interested in joining the Grey Hares Ensemble please email [email protected]
Pictures: Olena/ilovelimerick





