It is with regret that we learned of the passing of two of our founding members last week, Tommy Baldwin and Michael O’Halloran. Both Tommy and Michael were instrumental in setting up the ISCP in 1994-1997 when there were very few organisations working as advocates for the rights of older people.
Michael was also the first CEO of the ISCP and worked determinedly in the early days to develop the profile and awareness of the work of the organisation. Sean Kinsella, a long-time member who worked with Michael in the early years, recalls his innate sense of social justice and his keen interest in education and ensuring that everyone, including older people, had access to it.
Tommy, who worked tirelessly to grow the organisation and set up the Cork branch as well as the Retired Workers Network will be sadly missed. Nora from the Cork branch who worked alongside Tommy recounts his strong belief in people and speaks of his kindness, patience and unstinting commitment to any work he undertook. She describes him as ‘A true gentleman’ who was also a keen activist.
We believe that it is this work in the early days that created the organisation we have today and we thank both Michael and Tommy for the strong legacy they have left behind.
We offer our sincere condolences to the families of both Tommy and Michael.
The loss is immeasurable but so is the love left behind