Dún Uladh’s Daytime Comhaltas programme offers a warm space to meet friends old and new

Dún Uladh Cultural Heritage Centre are delighted to begin their brand-new weekly initiative ‘Daytime Comhaltas’ which starts on the 26th February from 11.30am to 2pm.

Daytime Comhaltas, which has been running at other Comhaltas venues across the country, will provide a warm and welcoming space for older people to come together for some company and friendship. This Comhaltas programme aims to enhance the mental health of the older people attending, providing a sense of belonging, improving their self-esteem, delivering a community connection and creating purposeful living.

The programme at Dún Uladh will be funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland through its Rural Engagement Arts Programme. The programme was first designed to tackle loneliness and social isolation, which can have a detrimental impact on the physical, mental and social health of isolated older people in particular. However, given the recent Covid-19 pandemic, the resulting lockdowns as well as the current ‘cost of living crisis’ the programme is seen as more important than ever in rebuilding older people’s confidence and offering the community a space to stay warm during the day.

The cost of living crisis is having a major impact on everyone in society, as people struggle to afford essentials such as food and rent as well as facing rising energy bills. Among those groups hardest hit by the crisis are older people, who are often on a fixed income and tend to spend more on home energy bills than other households. Dún Uladh hope that this programme will go some way to alleviating the impacts of these current challenges. Speaking ahead of the programme, Mollie McKeever of Dún Uladh said “we hope by offering this service, people can come together and share stories, build friendship, and connect with each other whilst listening to music and, if they wish, having a dance. Most importantly we want to offer people a warm and safe space to enjoy themselves and to go some way to alleviate the cost of living impacts”.

The new programme consists of a music session lead by local accordion player Martina Quinn. The sessions take place every second Monday and is on from 11.30am. Dún Uladh are encouraging any older people in the community who would like to attend to come along and enjoy the fun with a cup of tea and a scone.

For more information call 028 8224 2777. No booking necessary and tea and refreshments are provided free of charge.

Daytime Comhaltas is sponsored by Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland