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Staff

Patrick Connolly - Chief Executive

Paddy Connolly was Chief Executive Officer of Inclusion Ireland since early 2012. Inclusion Ireland is a national disability organisation that advocates for the rights of persons with an intellectual disability.

Prior to this Paddy was CEO of Cairde for 14 years. Cairde advocates for the rights of Black and Minority & Ethnic Communities in Ireland. As part of his work Paddy has developed values-based approaches to equality and Human Rights advocacy and the application of values-based organisation management. He has particular interest and experience in managing organisational change and strengthening NGO capacity to bring about social change. 

Earlier in his career Paddy worked in social care, youth work, community development and he has practiced as a certified family mediator and conflict specialist. Paddy holds a BA in Management and an MA in International Relations. In May of 2018 Paddy was appointed by President Michael D. Higgins as a Commissioner with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. 

 

Carrie Benn- Head of Fundraising and Communications

Carrie Benn is the Head of Fundraising and Communications at Age Action. Carrie joined our team in March 2023, bringing with her a wealth of experience and skills from her expertise in marketing, financial accounting, impactful fundraising and effective communication. Carrie previously worked at Spirasi - The National Centre for Survivors of Torture, where she served as the Head of Development & Fundraising for over three years. In this role, Carrie led significant fundraising initiatives and played a pivotal role in supporting survivors of torture.

Carrie is currently undertaking a Master's degree in Philanthropic Studies from the University of Kent, a testament to her commitment to professional development and her dedication to the philanthropic sector.

 

Vicky Harris - Head of Programmes

Vicky Harris joined Age Action in 2020 as Head of Programmes. Vicky’s responsibilities include policy development, and the creation, implementation and evaluation of programmes which respond to the needs of older people. 

Prior to taking up her post with Age Action, Vicky managed and developed all homeless and housing services for the Dublin Simon Community in Wicklow, Meath and Kildare.  Vicky has worked with members of the Traveller Community in Ireland to support equality of access to mental health services. She also worked with a disabilities group in West Africa (Burkina Faso). While there, Vicky strengthened this grassroot organisation’s organisational and financial capacity. Key achievements include sourcing funds to build a school premises and securing three teaching positions for children with hearing difficulties.  

Vicky has dedicated her career to working alongside marginalised groups. She has a history of developing services based on people’s self-identified needs.  Vicky holds a BA in Politics and Economics, and an MA in International Security and Conflict Studies. 

Jennifer Coen - Head of Administration & HR

Jennifer Coen

Jennifer has been with Age Action since 2011 when she joined as the Assistant CE Supervisor having previous worked in the Central Remedial Clinic. She went on to become Officer Manager in 2013 and is now our Head of Administration & HR.

Before joining the organisation she lived abroad and co-owned and ran a successful business in Spain for eight years before returning to Ireland in 2008.

Mary Hamoodi - Head of Finance

Mary Hamoodi joined Age Action in 2019 as Head of Finance with the responsibility of providing a resilient and effective finance resource function, and is also part of Senior Leadership Team.

Prior to working at Age Action, Mary spent her career in the charitable sector in Canada holding the position of VP of Finance and Operations. Mary has a CPA designation from Canada and is also a member of CPA Ireland.

Mary volunteers her time with befriending an older person.

Gerard Scully - Information Officer

Gerard is with Age Action over 20 years, he came in originally on a Community Employment Scheme as a Librarian and Information Officer.  He has a professional qualification in Librarianship and Information provision and a Masters in Anthropology. 

Before Age Action he worked in Focus Point and Pavee Point as a Librarian.  He manages Age Action’s Information Service and continues to enjoy working with and for older people. 

 

Nat O'Connor - Senior Public Affairs & Policy Specialist

Nat has worked on social and economic policy for over 15 years and has worked in Dublin’s Homeless Agency, in the thinktank TASC, for the Labour Party in the Oireachtas, and at Ulster University and Maynooth University. He is the author or co-author of a range of publications, including Ireland’s first comprehensive report on economic inequality. Nat has a Masters in politics and social policy from the University of Dundee in Scotland and a PhD in politics from Trinity College Dublin.

Megan Reilly - Regional Programmes Manager

Megan joined Age Action in late 2022 as National Volunteer Manager and became the Regional Programmes Manager in 2024. Prior to this she worked as Training and Engagement Lead with Women for Election, running programmes for women to encourage them to get involved in political life and address the gender gap in Irish politics.

She also previously worked with Fóroige, running youth groups for marginalised young people and also recruiting, training and supporting volunteers across West Dublin. Before that she was Vice President for Equality and Citizenship with the Union of Students in Ireland, advocating for marginalised students and their rights and access to education. She has been a passionate Volunteer for over 12 years with various different organisations, and is a Board Member of the Irish Family Planning Association.

Jipe Kelly - Regional Programmes Manager

Jipe Kelly joined Age Action in 2022 as Western Regional Programmes Manager. He has more than 12 years of experience in the community and voluntary sector in Ireland and 7 years with international NGOs in both management and consultancy  roles and has worked with organisations such as Integrating Ireland as Western Alliance Regional Manager, Galway Refugee Support Group as Community Development Officer, International Cooperative Alliance as Regional Capacity Development Manager for Africa, Africa – Europe Diaspora Development Platform (ADEPT) as Capacity Development Manager, and Principal Consultant at Diversity Matters. He holds a Master of Business Studies (MBS) in Co-operative and Social Enterprise from University College Cork (UCC), Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Economics from the University of Buea, Cameroon and Certified Management Consultancy award from the Institute of Management Consultants and Advisers (IMCA).

Jipe was awarded the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award and the Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers Phase 1 and 2 awards in recognition of his contribution to innovating and promoting the development of social enterprises in Ireland. He founded Dream Opps and Diversity Matters and co-founded Mayo Intercultural Action (MIA). He also served as a member of the Ministerial Council of Integration (appointed by Minister Mary White) from 2010 – 2015 and represented Ireland on the European Migration and Integration Forum from 2010 – 2015.

Luke Decaux- Corporate Partnerships Manager

Luke Decaux joined the Age Action team in 2023, taking on the role of Corporate Partnerships Manager. His journey to Age Action was marked by a notable tenure at Focus Ireland, where he honed his skills in building meaningful relationships and strategic partnerships, essential for any successful fundraising effort. Prior to his impactful work in the nonprofit sector, Luke spent several years in the competitive private sector, specifically within the tech and sales industries. This unique blend of experiences has equipped him with a keen understanding of both corporate and charitable landscapes, making him exceptionally adept at identifying and nurturing partnerships that drive mutual value and advance Age Action's mission.

Luke's academic background is as impressive as his professional one. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Maynooth and Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in French, respectively. His pursuit of knowledge didn't stop there; Luke further expanded his expertise by obtaining a Masters of Science in Innovation and European Business which took place across three different universities - University College Cork, ISC Paris & HU Utrecht. These academic achievements have provided him with a solid foundation in critical thinking, cross-cultural communication, and sustainable business practices—skills that are invaluable in his current role.

Chiara Tamborini - National Volunteer Manager

Chiara recently joined Age Action as the new National Volunteer Manager. Prior to this, she worked as a Placement and Outreach Officer at Fingal Volunteer Centre, where she supported individuals interested in starting volunteer work in Ireland, as well as local non-profit organizations seeking volunteers.

Her expertise includes direct volunteer management, training, group facilitation, and event management.

A passionate volunteer from a young age, she has taken on various volunteer roles in Ireland, Italy (her home country), and the Middle East. Through these experiences, she has gained first-hand knowledge of effective volunteer management and leadership, recognising how essential they are for ensuring a smooth and successful volunteer experience.

In her free time, she continues volunteering as a Board Member for the Baldoyle Racecourse Community Garden (Dublin 13).

Age Action welcomes enhanced fuel allowance for those aged 66+, but regrets state pension lost spending power and lack of supports for those living alone.

Reacting to Budget 2025, which fell on the International Day of Older Persons, Age Action’s policy adviser Nat O’Connor said “An additional €12 for those in receipt of a full state pension will help some older people to cover their weekly costs, but it means that for yet another budget cycle the state has failed to restore the state pension to the value it had in 2020. We would need to see it increased by a further €18 for it to cover as much as it did four years ago, when many people already struggled to meet their needs. Older people now have weaker income security because the government failed to deliver on its promise of benchmarking and indexing the state pension, which every other Western European country already does. Age Action renews its call for benchmarking and indexation, to protect our peace of mind in retirement.”  

He continued, “Age Action has strongly advocated for reform to the fuel allowance given that older people are at particular risk of energy poverty, due to disproportionally occupying Ireland’s most poorly insulated homes, and our bodies retaining less heat as we age. Age Action welcomes the government’s recognition of this reality through granting people aged 66+ access to the fuel allowance under a generous means test, which will go a long way to combatting energy poverty in older age.” 

He continued, “Age Action deeply regrets the government’s failure to adequately address the disadvantages experienced by older people living alone. This is a repeat of last year’s budget, when we raised concern that the state did not recognize them as a particular cohort of our society in need of targeted support. The living alone allowance has now been allowed to stagnate since 2022, when it was only raised by €3, and the fuel allowance for those aged 66+ allows people living alone barely over half the income of a couple, despite the most recent research showing they bear 79% of the same costs. The carer’s allowance means test allows older people living alone only half the income of those living with another. This demonstrates a pattern of disadvantage for older people living alone, who were hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, being twice as likely to experience material deprivation in 2023 as they were in 2020, before inflation began to spike. They are also nearly three times as likely to experience material deprivation than couples aged 65+. Six in ten older people living alone are women, so failing to support older people living alone also means compounding gender inequality in older age, where there already exists a 35% gender pension gap.” 

“Age Action welcomes the introduction of a universal companion pass, which will come in in September 2025. We have long emphasised the transport inadequacy experienced by many older people in Ireland and how this contributes to social isolation and exclusion. The universal companion pass is a simple improvement that will be greatly appreciated by many older people, in particular those who find travelling alone difficult or impossible.” Dr O’Connor concluded.  

 

 

NOTES TO EDITORS 

Age Action is the leading advocacy organisation on ageing and older people in Ireland. Age Action advocates for a society that enables all older people to participate and to live full, independent lives, based on the realisation of rights and equality, recognising the diversity of experience and situation. Our mission is to achieve fundamental change in the lives of all older people by eliminating age discrimination, promoting positive ageing, and securing the right for all of us to comprehensive and high-quality services. 

 

Contact person for reactions, interviews, etc.: Carrie Benn, Head of Communications, 087 9957838 

 

The main points of Age Action’s Budget 2025 submissions are as follows: 

SECTION 1: SOCIAL PROTECTION 

  1. Benchmark and index the state pension so that its rate will always be at least equal to 34% of total average earnings, to be achieved by 2026. Increase the rate of the state pension by at least €20 in Budget 2025. 

  1. Introduce an Energy Guarantee for Older Persons payment to better target cash supports to lower income households and to those in poorly insulated homes, while also insulating them from spikes in inflation.  

  1. Target more support to older people living alone. 

  1. Index all social protection means tests and income thresholds to earnings and inflation, to stop eligibility for supports being effectively reduced by inflation. 

  1. Address anomalies and inequalities in the state pension entitlement of carers, which currently mean that long-term carers of up to 19 years may not receive any credit towards a contributory state pension if they do not also have 10 years of paid contributions.  

  1. Conduct a gender and equality review of the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) to calculating the rate of the state pension, and suspend use of TCA until this is concluded. 

  1. End stereotypical household assumptions in welfare eligibility criteria, which currently preclude some older persons from accessing income supports due to a household composition other than living alone or living as a couple. 

  1. Halt the option of a deferred state pension to 70 until multiple anomalies and inequities that are caused by the current scheme rules have been addressed. 

  1. Implement other social protection proposals, as outlined in Section 9. 

 

SECTION 2: REST OF GOVERNMENT 

  1. [PER] Appoint a Commissioner for Ageing and Older Persons, with a supporting legal framework and an independent budget, to ensure we are all treated fairly and with dignity as we age. [€2.5 million] 

  1. [ETE] Abolish the prevalent ageist practice of mandatory retirement, so that we all have the option to remain in or re-enter employment beyond age 65, as a step towards eliminating legally permitted age discrimination. [revenue raising, no estimate available] 

  1. [Finance/PER] Develop a comprehensive, all-of-government national ageing strategy, with a requirement for implementation plans in every relevant state agency, to eradicate ageism and to ensure that we prepare sufficiently for the demographic transition. [<€1 million] 

  1. [Health] Deliver on the pledge of a strong, fully universal and accessible healthcare system that is tax-funded and free-of-charge at the point of use. [€567 million] 

  1. [Finance/PER, and FHERIS re digital skills] Prohibit ‘digital only’ services, fund digital skills training and adequately resource traditional alternatives such as desk and telephone services, as a step towards implementing a rights-based approach to accessing publicly funded services. [€10 million] 

  1. [Health/CEDIY] Introduce a care strategy using a human rights-based approach to improve, expand, and harmonize our care options. [<€1 million] 

  1. [HLGH/Transport] Implement policies to ensure that all of us can age in place in our homes and communities, in particular, supports and protections for older persons renting, and the enforcement of universal design principles for all new builds. [€45 million] 

  1. [Foreign Affairs] Support the introduction of a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons to address the gaps in the existing human rights system by clarifying states’ human rights obligations and responsibilities towards older people. [<€1 million] 

  1. [Finance, and Taoiseach re CSO] Adopt the use of an Employment Based Dependency Ratio. [<€1 million] 

  1. [Finance] Increase the tax exemption thresholds for people aged 65+ to €22,320 for an individual and €44,640 for a couple. [revenue neutral] 

  1. [Finance] Reduce the extent to which high earners can avail of pension tax breaks and tax-free lump sums on retirement. [revenue raised: €500 million] 

  1. [Finance/Social Protection] Ensure that all departments update means tests and income thresholds in line with inflation and changes to social protection rates. [revenue neutral] 

  1. [Foreign Affairs] Increase official development aid to 0.7% GNI, including a focus on ageing. [€300 million] 

  1. [DRCD] Increase funding for SSNO and CVP grants by 25%. [€1.8 million] 

 

Age Action’s pre-budget submissions can be found here: https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/campaigning-policy/age-action-budget-submissions-government