About Cara Clare
Built by a newcomer who couldn't find the information either.
Cara Clare is a free, independent, volunteer-run directory. It brings the real support services for older people and family carers in Ireland together in one clear, plain-English place — sorted by what you need, not by who runs it.
Jay
Founder & volunteer, North Clare
Why it exists
The help was there. Finding it was the hard part.
I moved to Ireland recently and started volunteering in North Clare. Like a lot of newcomers, I spent a long time trying to work out how things worked here — who to call, what you're entitled to, which organisation does what. The information existed, but it was scattered across dozens of websites, written in official language, and organised around the services rather than around the person looking for help.
I soon realised older people and family carers face exactly the same problem, often at the most stressful moment of their lives. A daughter suddenly caring for her father shouldn't need to understand how the HSE, the county council and five different charities divide up their work before she can get him a lift to his appointment.
So I built the resource I wished had existed: one page, plain English, sorted by what you need, linking straight to the real organisations. It started as a directory for County Clare and is now growing county by county across Ireland.
How we work
What you can expect from Cara Clare
Real services, checked by hand
Every listing links to the organisation that actually provides the help. We check phone numbers, addresses and links ourselves and note when each page was last checked.
Free and independent
No ads, no fees and no paid listings — ever. Cara Clare isn't affiliated with the HSE, Age Friendly Ireland or any council, and doesn't provide care itself.
Written for everyone
Plain English, large readable type and clear next steps, so the site works for older readers, busy carers and people who are new to Ireland alike.
Partners, councils & press
Want to work with us, or write about the project?
We'd love to hear from local organisations, community groups, council Age Friendly teams and journalists. If you run a service, we'll list it for free. If you'd like to feature Cara Clare, email us and we'll get back to you quickly.
- Service listings are always free
- Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it
- Media enquiries welcome