Sonny O’Brien, 80, participated in the Irish Rural Link computer training course in Lackagh, Co Galway and provides the following testimonial of how the basic computer training has ‘changed his life’.
‘I trace my original reluctance to participate in training to fear. To think that somebody who graduated from an ink well and nib in Annagh National School many decades ago could be introduced to the world of computers did not appear realistic. Today I also have a fear but it is of what I would have missed out on if I had not availed of this wonderful opportunity .My first reaction was that this could be just a hobby .I gradually saw the horizons broaden and while it has still an element of entertainment it is now an absolute necessity in my day. The activities are too many to mention them all. I will just mention a few. Some months ago our family suffered a double bereavement in THE U.S. An e-mail was a vital link up in keeping in touch with family in those dark days. The support that it allows us extend to each other in post bereavement is wonderful. Skype is such a wonderful facility to participate in all situations is they happy or sad. Both of those facilities enhance quality of life’.
Another course participant, Kitty, Kilbeggan, 80 years plus, comments:
‘I am a long-standing member of the Kilbeggan Active Retirement Group. Over four sessions the two excellent tutors gave us an introduction to Online Payments, accessing and using the RTE Player, how to use and play CDs and DVDs, SKYPE, and how to access and use the 2001 and 2011 Census. All of the above mattered to me, and the group, as they are now so much part of everyday life for most people.
‘What I found most rewarding was the session using the Census. I am a member of the local Historical Society and in 2001 was instrumental in carrying out a survey of a old local graveyard with the assistance of an archaeology expert from UCG’.
For more information contact James Claffey, Policy and Communications Officer, Irish Rural Link. Tel: 087 2819741
