PROVING that learning new things is not just the provenance of young dogs, the Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival returns this April with its most comprehensive line-up of events to date.
Taking place from Monday April 20 to Sunday 26, this year’s festival features over 130 free events and activities to choose from throughout the week both online and in-person.
This year’s festival was launched at the Coonagh Campus of the Technological University of the Shannon by Cllr Maria Donoghue.
Councillor O’Donoghue said that Limerick Council is proud to support all of Learning Limerick’s projects and to be a core sponsor of this festival.
Michael MacCurtain, Limerick Chamber Skillnet and chair of Learning Limerick Steering Group, said the annual festival “remains a powerful reminder that learning belongs to everyone at every stage of life, in every community, and across every sector of our city and county”.
David Doherty, a TUS social care student and a Learning Limerick ambassador, also spoke at the launch about his own learning journey, saying that “returning to learning through the Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival and TUS changed the direction of my life”.
“I discovered supports I never knew existed and found the confidence to take the next steps into higher education.”
Learning Limerick ambassador Clare Dollard spoke about her ongoing love for community education and her pride at graduating from the University of Limerick CWELL programme.
“This festival shows how transformative learning can be. Whether you’re trying something new, returning to education, or simply exploring an interest. My story shows that when you take that first step, incredible things can happen,” she said.
Just some of the 130 events taking place through the week include a
family circus day with the Irish Aerial Creation Centre;
an introduction to acting with College of FET, Mulgrave Street Campus; Eat Well, Feel Well: Exploring Nutrition and Wellbeing with Limerick City Partnership and Mental Health Ireland; a taste of higher education at TUS, Moylish Campus; Read, Rattle, and Rhyme in Rathkeale with Community Families; Dishes of Old Times with St Mary’s Adult Education Group; an introduction to Mary Immaculate College for mature students; AI in Everyday Life with Hospital FRC with Limerick and Clare ETB; storytime for young children in Adare Library; and Age-Friendly University Learning in University of Limerick.
The full event listing is available on limerick.ie/lovelearning.