THE RIVERCHAPEL LADIES CLUB.

“People should consider joining for the friendship that theyʼre going to get out of it. I always say isolation is like a disease. To mix with others and just to have that feeling that someone has your back is so important.”

“Isolation, loneliness, friendship and togetherness , Itʼs all about the companionship we give to each other in the club.”

“Itʼs not just a club. It is a place where we all look after one another.”

The RiverChapel ladies club meet every Monday night at the old community hall in the small seaside village of Riverchapel in North Wexford. Many of the forty or so women are widowed and live alone. The club provides a weekly social gathering for Bingo, dancing, regular walks and excursions. Quite a few of the women are originally from Dublin and had spent their summers in nearby Courtown as children, and then returned years later with their own children. When retirement age came they decided to move permanently to Riverchapel.

In doing so they have formed a strong, close-knit community that supports each other through thick and thin. Upon speaking to Monica the chairwoman ( who originally hails from the Liberties in Dublin city centre ), she said: “ Riverchapel is like the way Dublin used to be in the old days - everyone says hello on the street, It’s a warm and friendly place and people would do anything for you “