“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” said the celebrated author Mark Twain, but is this true?
The Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland published a report earlier this year asking the question “Are you Ageist?”
Almost half of the older people surveyed in Northern Ireland said that they have experienced ageism.
Almost two thirds (65 per cent) agreed that older people were viewed as a burden to society and taken less seriously as they have gotten older.
There are similar findings in the south. Age Action, the advocacy organisation that promotes equality as we age, also asked questions earlier this year in an IrelandThinks Public Poll - “Are we Ageist?”
They found that 67 per cent of people agreed with at least one ageist opinion out of the seven asked with one in four experiencing age discrimination.
This poll also found that men and younger people in the 18-34 age group were more inclined to hold ageist opinions.
The positive findings from both reports, however, highlighted in the north that 95 per cent of people surveyed agreed that older people have a lot to contribute to the workplace while Age Action’s report found that 33 per cent did not agree with any of the ageist statements.
Despite this, and the fact that people are living a lot longer, there is a stereotypical image and perception of older people as frail, grey and once they reach the age of 70, they are not able to contribute to society the way they once did.
The comments Mickey Harte made after leaving the job as Derry manager were interesting.
He told the BBC that he was “not ready for the pipe and slippers yet”.
At 72 years of age, there was a belief that he would go quietly into the night and forget about football after living and breathing it for nearly most of his adult life, to concentrate on his gardening.
The idea that he would get involved with another county in management bemused and surprised a lot of people. He challenged the stereotype of what someone in their 70s should be doing.
Colm O’Rourke was another manager who resigned after not getting more time to implement a new management team before the meeting of the Meath management board.
It would appear, looking in from the outside, that the Meath County Board did not want the 67-year-old to remain in charge.
Yes you can argue that the Royal county results were poor this year, but O’Rourke had brought in new players and won the Tailteann Cup in 2023.
Meath, however, have not been a serious threat in the football championship in 25 years. They last won an All-Ireland in 1999 and have only won two Leinster titles since 2000.
Yet the criticism of both Harte and O’Rourke and their style of management and play by pundits and former players was intense. Despite their obvious previous successes as player and manager, the criticism seemed to more than imply that they did not know what they were doing.
In an interview with Off The Ball recently, Shane Curran the former Roscommon goalkeeper and now Carlow manager spoke of how important it was to him to speak with older people who have vast experience and have them as mentors in the game.
“If you can get the experience of older people or more elderly than yourself that have that little bit deeper knowledge, not so much in the game as the game is changing all the time, but knowledge of people is crucial. We coach the person, not the player,” he said.
Many felt Declan Kelly, who was the sole manager of the Offaly football team last year, would be put out that Mickey Harte would be on the coaching ticket as joint manager this year, but he has been effusive in praise of Harte saying that he is delighted to have his experience on board.
As of now there are still no managers in Monaghan, Tyrone or Derry. Malachy O’Rourke is linked to them all but time will tell if he decides to go with one particular team.
He has so far refused all inter-county offers since he stepped away from Monaghan in 2019, but has allowed his name to be put forward by Errigal Ciaran for the vacant Tyrone job.
Speaking to a lot of managers who have left inter-county management recently, lack of time was a massive factor as a reason for leaving.
They also felt that a big strength in becoming a successful manager was communication and the ability to manage personalities.
Instead of looking for the next new, up and coming coach and manager, do county boards need to reframe what this looks like?
They still need the tactical coach, but is considering a more mentor-based management structure the way to go?
As Shane Curran has already found out, there are a lot of learnings to be had by having mentors who are willing to share their experiences with you.
Offaly chairman Michael Duignan, in the press release issued in relation to Mickey Harte joining the Faithful county, spoke of how “there’s a great chance for Declan to learn from Mickey”.
Equally telling is what he said after that “there’s a great chance for Mickey to learn from Declan, because everybody has something to learn every day you get up”
“Two heads are better than one” we know. All county boards may be missing a trick by focussing on the one and not looking for the experience of the other, no matter what age he or she may be.