Hello to irishpostalworker from the kingdom congratulations on the site. All information that you need can be got from the local dept of social and families offices which I have found to be very helpful.

This can be a very difficult and confusing area and it's best to get the best advice from the beginning. There is a huge amount of information on your entitlements on the dept of social and family affairs site. If you first do some research on Payments for older people you will get an idea of what is available. What I found most helpful is to make an appointment with an official on the list of  Local Dept offices who can answer most if not all of your questions.

I recommend that you have specific questions and details of your previous stamps written out before you meet the local official.

Main website Dept of social and family affairs