Three learners reveal how they mastered a new language in middle age, while also enjoying a cognitive workout
Niall O’Neill was 54 when he started learning French. Photo: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision
Learning a new language can protect brain and body health, and slow down the biological ageing process. That’s according to research from Trinity College Dublin, which also says that the more languages you learn, the better.
Most of us will have learned a language in school, whether that’s Irish, French, German or Spanish, although the majority will have let that learning lapse as the years passed.