RTÉ Player’s brand new six-part series sees six of Ireland’s sassiest senior citizens answering Gen Z’s most pressing problems.
Mammy to Love Island’s Maura, Sharon Higgins; GAA pundit Pat Spillane; National treasure Mary O’Rourke; Bosco’s former sidekick; Frank Twomey; dog lover Gray Cahill, and Ireland’s Got Talent’s Matt Dodd have no-holds-barred wisdom at the ready on a range of issues, from threesomes to STDs to coming out, proving that being old doesn’t mean being out-of-touch.
Mary O’Rourke says: ‘I’ve always lived life to the full and am a great age and I think that more than qualifies me to give good life advice to the next generation. I think young people have the same problems as us all, we all want to be loved and to feel that connection. I speak from my heart and am brutally honest as my grandchildren would tell you and there is nothing that shocks me!’
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Sharon Higgins sprang on to the national stage when she visited her daughter, Maura Higgins, on Love Island and quickly became ‘Mammy’ to all of us with her no-nonsense practical advice. With four children by the age of 23, Sharon grew up quickly from the ‘wild child’ with a penchant for all things Madonna, to the loving matriarch who tells it like it is. This modern mammy ensures her children can openly share their problems with her, meaning that the Longford native won’t bat an eyelid at anything Gen Z has to ask! As she says, “I’m straight up and down the middle. Nothing surprises and nothing shocks me anymore.”
Pat Spillane is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of GAA football, with a career spanning seventeen years from 1974 to 1991 that included nine All-Stars and eight All-Ireland medals. Following retirement from Gaelic football, Spillane left his day job as a teacher and developed a career as a sports commentator and studio analyst with the The Sunday Game. With all that experience in high-pressure situations, Pat confesses he still hasn’t taken on the greatest challenge of all – learning how to cook for himself! Pat believes his experience living in the public eye for so long will help him advise Gen Z as they tackle the pitfalls of the social media landscape, and don’t forget, he worked as a barman for forty years! Pat claims, “I’m a really good listener.”
Hailing from the Rebel County, Frank Twomey may stand out to an older audience as Bosco’s former sidekick, but younger audiences will recognise him for his appearance in Dublin Bus’ The Long Road to Pride campaign when he visited the Pride Parade for the first time in his life. “I am so glad I did that, I am so glad I did that for me,” he says. “The reaction blew me away.” A showbusiness performer for over forty years, Frank has seen it all and “tried everything once.” He hopes that his life experience and advice on the show will help Gen Z learn to “not listen to the voice in your head if it’s negative. Because everyone has that monkey on the shoulder that says you can’t, you won’t, you’ll never.”
The sensational Gray Cahill was born in 1938 in Providence, Rhode Island as Mary Gray Cahill. Given the proliferation of Mary’s in Ireland, shortly after arriving here in 1977, she changed her name to just ‘Gray.’ She came to public attention in 2019 when she appeared in an RTÉ documentary about how she, as an octogenarian, was preparing her end-of-life matters. What kept her in the public eye was the empathy she displayed- something she credits to her training as a former nun with the Sisters of Mercy. In her opinion, the problems she faced as a confused teenager compared with the problems facing Gen Z aren’t that dissimilar and that one of our lifelong pursuits, regardless of age, is “finding who we are and being true to ourselves.” She’s hoping with a little help from the love of her life and trusted canine companion, Mollie, she’ll be able to guide Gen Z towards just that.
Matt Dodd knows all about finding success late in life as he became an overnight singing sensation in his sixties after an appearance on Ireland’s Got Talent. The Liberties hasn’t let the sudden fame go to his head as his family and friends keep him grounded. He says, “My wife runs out of the room when I start to sing! She’s heard all my songs and I drive her wild because I’m singing all the time in the house.” In addition to music, Matt is also passionate about being a youth leader in his Clondalkin neighbourhood – “It was the best 25 years I can remember.” Working as their soccer coach and their bus driver, Matt built up a relationship with all the young people in the area and witnessed first-hand the challenges they faced, including the temptation of drugs. He hopes he can bring that expertise to Gen Z and to help them stay out of trouble as well as inspire them to take a chance on themselves. He says, “If you get an opportunity, no matter what it is, go for that opportunity, take that leap.”
Former Fianna Fáil politician Mary O’Rourke has a new role these days – Grandmother. With six grandchildren she adores, you’d think she’d settle in to retirement in her eighties at last, but she’s keen to bring her life experience to the masses. She says, “I’ve survived so much and I’m still thinking about life and grabbing every day that comes. I’m lively and curious and want to know more about all that’s going on.” When it comes to the problems facing Gen Z, Mary believes her ‘library’ of experiences will be an advantage in facing their questions. She says, “I think what qualifies me is if you’ve lived to be 82, you’ve experienced love and disappointment and childhood and rearing children and having jobs and being in a stressful life, which politics is, and encountering all sorts of different people all the time. I have all of that.”
Further information: Anne-Louise Foley, RTÉ Communications, (01) 208 3298 / 085 1288911/ foleya@rte.ie