Wedded to the land? Representations of rural ageing masculinities in Irish culture and society.

This article explores the interactions between social constructions and cultural representations of rural ageing masculinities in Ireland. Constructions of Irish masculinities have historically been linked to rural, farming identities emphasising physicality, self-reliance, patrilineal inheritance and traditional (Catholic) family values. Central to such constructions in many classic works of Irish literature, drama and film has been the powerful role of the father and the imperative of the land. While there is a burgeoning literature on masculinities in Irish literary, cultural and sociological studies, there are however few studies on the intersection of age and masculinities, or across disciplines. This article seeks to address this critical gap in relation to rural masculinities through close readings of significant texts from Irish literature and film, as well as through focus group discussions of men aged 65+ living in Ireland about their views on such images. Taking an intersectional and interdisciplinary approach, it thus offers an overview of cultural constructions of ageing rural masculinities and explores how such representations inform models of ageing in contemporary Ireland.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Lives and Retirement Timing of Older Nurses in Ireland.

COVID-19 profoundly affected Irish citizens. The effects have been especially pronounced for nurses in front-line, clinical and management roles. This article discusses the national and employer policy context relevant to nurses in Ireland. There have been staff and bed shortages in public hospitals since austerity policies were introduced following the global financial crisis. Government measures responding to the pandemic include initial 'cocooning' of older citizens, travel restrictions, changed working conditions and restricted availability of childcare. This article draws on interviews with 25 older nurses in 2021, sixteen women and nine men, aged 49 or over in Ireland. It explores older nurses' experiences of COVID-19 and asks what are the implications for their working conditions and retirement timing intentions. A gendered political economy of ageing approach and thematic analysis reveals that while some nurses responded positively to the pandemic, some experienced adverse health impacts, stress and exhaustion; some reported a fear of contracting COVID-19 and of infecting their families; several women nurses decided to retire earlier due to COVID-19. The implications of the findings for employer and government policy and for research are discussed.

Dying well: factors that influence the provision of good end-of-life care for older people in acute and long-stay care settings in Ireland.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore key stakeholders and direct care managers' perspectives on the current provision of end-of-life care for older people in acute and long-stay care settings in Ireland and to construct a model of these. BACKGROUND: Although the literature reveals a number of factors that impact on end-of-life care, no study has examined staff perceptions concerning the provision of good end-of-life care for older people in an Irish context. DESIGN: Grounded theory was used. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data between 2007-2008. METHOD: A purposive sample of 33 staff involved in the delivery of end-of-life care to older people working in six sites were selected. RESULTS: Factors that influence provision of end-of-life care in Ireland were identified. The core category was 'dying well'. The potential to 'die well' was influenced by three factors, namely philosophy, culture and organisation of care, knowing the person and physical environment and resources. CONCLUSIONS: People are living longer consequently acute and long-stay care setting will increasingly become places where older people die. This study identified the factors that influence the provision of good end-of-life care for older people. Mobilising resources to ensure that these factors are considered is crucial to ensuring that regardless of where older people die in Ireland, they will receive the highest standard of care that nurses can provide. RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE: Understanding the factors that influence the provision of end-of-life care in acute and long-stay facilities in Ireland can help health professionals give more focused support and ensure that influencing factors are addressed so that older people at end-of-life receive quality end-of-life care.