We were delighted to welcome Rita Ann Higgins recently at our Bealtaine Gathering as our keynote speaker.
Below are excerpts from her address and a poem she wrote especially for the occasion, which you can also listen to her recite on the Brendan O’Connor show here: ‘Elder Speak’ | Brendan O’Connor – RTÉ Radio 1
‘Elder Speak’
Beware the ‘Elder speak’
when the person in front of you
thinks you are dumb and certainly deaf.
Without knowing one detail about you
apart from seeing
your slightly greying hair and glasses,
the voice goes all high pitched
and sea saw, sing song, ding dong,
implying, this old biddy is nearly dead.
You know you are special and singled out
because no one else in the waiting room
gets this higher octave.
It doesn’t stop there,
the voice goes up and down the decibel bar
until it nearly reaches shriek.
Then without fear or favour
or moving a botoxed muscle
the about face that you wanted to slap,
slipped and goes all Dotie-coo
and Peteen and Loveens.
You still want to
‘infantile her back’ with a head butt,
but you are better than that,
and age has taught you a thing or two
about ’Elder Speak’.
After all, you were only there
to check if the underground car park
could facilitate your Avenger Hybrid Jeep,
with a boat and two bicycles on top.
Excerpts from Rita Ann Higgins’ keynote address for the Bealtaine Gathering 2026:
“What works for me is to be mindful of what is being said and written. If you ever allowed this rot about fragility and older people to sink in you would never go anywhere. You would certainly not further your creative journey, the rot perpetuated about fragility would limit your access to the arts and you would find yourself blaming yourself, which is not true. That fragility stereotyping should be confined to the bin”
“Follow any creative drive you have. Always give yourself permission for any creative expression that you have been shielding. Self-ageism sometimes prevents us from breaking away from a worn out cliched view that we are not enough, not clever enough, not fast enough, not sexy enough.”
“Never say, I’m too old for that! You are not too old for anything. Wear what you want to wear. Don’t give in to a negative voice that echoes a misogynist society that placed us behind the door and in front of the sink. Take your creative side seriously and experience the many benefits of sitting and mulling over that painting in the national gallery or wherever. Go to that writing workshop and have your poem listened to for constructive criticism. Join that choir. Go to that dance class. Learn how to paint. Learn how to play the piano. Look at yourself and realise what a great person you are”
