Tipperary student sets up community project to connect younger and older generations

Picture above: Holly Kirby receives Carrick Lions Club’s Young Ambassador of the 21st Century plaque from last year’s winner Finn McLoughlin at a ceremony at Carrick’s Nagle Centre last month. Carrick Lions Club Young Ambassador Contest coordinator Shirley O’Shea is far left and Lions Club President Stephanie Keating is far right.

An inspiring teenager from Carrick-on-Suir is spearheading a new community project to connect young people with older citizens in her hometown through social and educational activities.

And she is looking for other young volunteers to join her in rolling it out.

Sixteen-year-old Holly Kirby’s Carrick Connects community project proposal earned her Carrick-on-Suir Lions Club’s Young Ambassador of the 21st Century title in the local final last October.

She represented the club in the All-Ireland final of the competition that honours young people engaged in outstanding community service involvement last Saturday.

The Scoil Mhuire Secondary School Transition Year student made a presentation on Carrick Connects to a panel of judges at the national final in the Grand Hotel in Portlaoise and reported on how she has already begun turning her idea into reality.

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Holly, who is from Orchard Crescent, Carrick, hosted a social tea dance with the help of friends and Carrick Lions Club members at the Carraig Hotel in Carrick on Sunday, January 11.

The two-hour long dance that included tea and scones doubled up as an information event for the Carrick Connects project.
Holly gave a presentation about her project and the attendance of about 40 people were surveyed about the type of activities they would like the project to organise to strengthen social links between the town’s younger and older generations.

The survey produced a wide variety of ideas. Holly said they range from a tech café where young people help older people with using smart phones and other technology and visits by young people to nursing homes to a memories sharing project and cook and share sessions where older people share traditional recipes while younger people share cooking hacks.

Holly will use the feedback from the survey to organise Carrick Connects social activities and events over the coming months. A social media page for the project is being set up.

She said the group is looking for other young people to get involved in Carrick Connects to help with organising its activities and events. Anyone wishing to get involved is asked to message the Carrick Lions Club Facebook page.

Holly was nominated by Carrick United FC to take part in Carrick Lions Club’s Young Ambassador of the 21st Century Final.

She has played soccer with the club since she was a young child and is a member of its U-18 squad.

Her mother Breda’s older friend was the inspiration for the project.

“Her two sons live in Germany and she lives in Carrick by herself. We help her with shopping and booking things online and doing some things for her on the phone.

“When I heard about the Lions Club Youth Ambassador competition I immediately thought back to mam’s friend and how there are so many people in the community like her. I wondered if there was a way to help them.”

Carrick Lions Club’s Young Ambassador Competition coordinator Shirley O’Shea described the Carrick Connects project as a “wonderful initiative” and paid tribute to Holly for so “brilliantly representing the club and delivering an “outstanding” presentation at the All-Ireland final.

“We are incredibly proud of Holly. She is a fantastic ambassador for our club and our community,” Ms O’Shea added.

Carrick-on-Suir Lions Club's Young Ambassador Holly Kirby (second from right) with from left friends Klara Carson, Ailish Walsh, her sister Darlah and friend Fionn Walsh at the Carrick Connects tea dance and information event at the Carraig Hotel on January 11

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