For others, retirement is something which is all-but forced upon them by an employment market which is ever-more unwilling to employ people over a certain age . . . despite their qualifications and experience.

"It is an increasing factor in modern Ireland that people either want to work, or have to work, past 65, " said Brian McCabe, director of S&L Promotions, which publishes Senior Times and organises The Over 50's Show - Ireland's only lifestyle event for older people. "But there is an imbalance in the workforce, and a definite bias towards younger people.

Indeed, a recent survey suggested that only 9% of Irish employers had plans to recruit older people."

Of course, age bias is outlawed under current legislation, and the Equality Authority has prosecuted a number of cases where a company was found to have been guilty of discrimination on the grounds of ageism.

"Legislation is in place, and the Equality Authority has been very active, especially through its "Say No to Ageism" campaign, " said McCabe. "But despite this, ageism, whether conscious or unconscious, still remains, and employers are still tending to look for younger people, while ignoring the fact that older people have much greater experience. And it is not just their experience that can count in their favour . . .

employers do recognise that older people tend to be more conscientious, and their standards are higher in terms of courtesy and timekeeping. In fact, some employers, such as Tesco and Woodies, are actively recruiting older people, although these jobs are not typically in line management, pointing to an overall trend which suggests that older people are valued, but not necessarily at the higher echelons of the business world."

Certainly, attitudinal barriers to securing a job for the over-50s can preclude many able-bodied and perfectly qualified people from finding work. And while this may not have mattered so much in the past (when jobs tended to be jobs for life), the modern trend for shorter contracts could mean that a person who had no problem obtaining consecutive contracts while they were still relatively young may find themselves in increasingly long periods of unemployment once they hit a certain age. With little hope for reprieve as they get older.

There is, however, an upside for older people.

Studies show that 85% of Irish people over the age of 50 own their houses outright, and so there is the financial back-up of equity release by re-mortgaging a valuable asset. But, thanks to medicine, diet and different types of working conditions, Irish people are tending to live longer . . . which means that for those unable to secure suitable employment, or for those who have retirement thrust upon them once they reach the age of 65, there could be a long time to survive without the diversion and security of gainful employment.

Minister for Trade and Employment Micheal Martin was recently quoted as being in favour of facilitating those who wish to remain working past traditional retirement age. This is, of course, part of the Towards 2016 social partnership agreement, as well as an element within the current Programme for Government, but still, the comments of a commitment to this concept have been welcomed by agencies such as Age Action Ireland, which suggests that, if the Government is serious about encouraging workers to continue working beyond 65, there are a number of practical steps it can take.

These include allowing workers who continue to work on to draw down some of their pension once they reach 65; allowing workers the option of deferring their pensions and then receiving an enhanced pension (based on actuarial advice) when they opt to draw it down; amendments to the current State Pension (Transition) payment which prevents people remaining on in their existing employment between the ages of 65 and 66; and allowing those who work beyond 65 to pay a stamp for each year they work after 65, thereby contributing towards qualification for a full state pension. It also called for the introduction of positive action to encourage and support workers aged between 50 and 65, and to tackle age discrimination in the workplace.

"Statistics show that only 54.4% of potential workers between the ages of 55 and 64 are actually working, " said Eamon Timmins, spokesman for Age Action Ireland. "This may well be down to personal choice, but there are also considerable barriers to participation in the workforce for people over 50."

Age Action is currently involved (alongside other bodies such as ICTU and FAS) in a significant study, funded under the EU Equal programme, into the barriers to participation in the workforce for older people, as well as the measures needed to combat these barriers.

"There is a recognition, at EU level, that this is a big issue, " said Timmins.

"There is a mass exodus of workers over the age of 50, despite the fact that there is a lot in it for companies who employ older people, in terms of the qualities that older people bring, and a lot in it for the state, because flexible retirement reduces pressure on the pension reserves. It's a winwin-win situation."