Active Retirement Ireland is a network of over 500 local and community based voluntary organisations involving a membership approaching 23,000 older people in a countrywide active retirement movement. Founded in 1978 and currently organised into eight regional councils, the movement’s principal aim is to help men and women, who are retired or semi-retired, from paid or unpaid work, to lead a full, happy and healthy retirement by offering organised opportunities for a wide range of activities – holidays, outings and socials; creative and learning programmes; indoor and outdoor sports and community work.