Storytelling

***Join us on a history-focused walking tour of Bray!*** Hi everyone, my name is Marina Boyle and I'm a local tour guide excited to share the history of Bray with you! On this guided walk I'll take you through the local stories of early Bray to Victorian times and into the modern day. Did you know that Bray was once a popular honeymoon destination? Or indeed a smuggling hot spot, home to Turkish Baths, and the location of Ireland's oldest film studio? As I share these stories and more, there will also be plenty of time to chat and make connections. Whether you are local, new to the area, or wanting to learn and make friends at the same time, this tour is for you! We'll start at the Harbour Bar at 10:30 am sharp and the tour will last approximately 1.5 hours. The meeting point is accessible by DART, bus or car. Please note that this is a tip-based tour, and most guests choose to contribute around €5–€10 per person (or more if the tour was unforgettable 😄). I am looking forward to meeting you!

Free Event, ticket recommended. [URL](https://joycetower.ie/events) All the ghosts of Ulysses alight for their play in the guise of the Idrone Players. Eighteen actors, dancers, and musicians give an intriguing insight into Ulysses, with the craic, the ceol, the sorrow, and the soul of the Joyce Tower: this is Ulysses aWake. Tickets are free but booking is essential. There will be both seating and standing places available. [The Bloomsday Festival](https://www.bloomsdayfestival.ie/) takes place on 11-16 June 2026. It is organised by [The James Joyce Centre](https://jamesjoyce.ie/) in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. After the event, we will go to drinks to the nearby Pub! See you all!

## **“ – Glory be to God! Is it notions she has? – Aye, notions. But they’re notions that cost me money!”** Please [book your own ticket](https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/) for matinée performance. Welcome to add your seat number to the comments for others can secure adjacent seats. About: The table is set for Denis, arriving home from Dublin where he’s studying Medicine at Trinity College – a source of enormous pride for his besotted mother and of great resentment to his five other siblings. But when word comes that he may have failed his exams *again*, the final straw breaks. Threats of deportation, lawsuits, bribes and counter-bribes escalate, as the family twist the fate of their whiteheaded boy to suit themselves. Never mind about the girls.

Come join me as we return to the delightful John Aboud's Georgian family home. Fee is €7 each, which I will collect before our tour. Max numbers allowed: 16 Date & Time: 2.30pm Saturday 13th June Meeting : 2.10pm outside No. 11 North Great George’s Street, Dublin 1. No. 11 was completed in 1774 and is amongst the first houses built in the then newly laid out North Great George’s Street, its internal features are in the prevailing style of the time, which was essentially Palladian, but including features more normally associated with country houses. It’s stucco decoration must be amongst the very last flings of the renowned Robert West School of Rococo plasterwork. Dr. Charles Orpen lived in the house in the 1830’s. He played a significant part in the development of sign language, founding Ireland’s first school for deaf children. Please only RSVP if you can attend on this date. All members are responsible for their own Health and Safety and for getting to and from the event.

"Grace” from Joyce’s *Dubliners* is a tale of booze, bombast and religious confusion that brilliantly satirises the role of the Catholic Church in early twentieth century Irish life. When struggling salesman, Tom Kernan (who also appears in *Ulysses*), is found drunk and injured in a pub toilet and brought home in disgrace to his long suffering wife, his friends hatch a plot to save him from his errant ways. [Please secure your own ticket on Eventbrite.](https://jamesjoyce.ie/events/bloomsday-festival-2026-grace-by-james-joyce/) This acclaimed production features the actor and comedian, **Terry O’Neill**, who brings to life Joyce’s rare collection of characters and takes you on a hilarious journey from purgatory to paradise. *Dubliners*, first published in 1914, is one of the great short story collections in the English language. By exploring the lives of his fellow Dublin citizens with unflinching realism, Joyce revealed truths both blasphemous and transcendent. “O’Neill does a terrific job…. comic ironies abound…” Irish Independent ‘O’Neill brings considerable energy and skill as the narrator’ Nomoreworkhorse

We're hosting another in-person writing session in the Old Town Café once more. What is a write-together? It's a couple of focused writing sprints (30 mins each) with breaks in between for for snacks and chats. It's a chance to get some writing done *and* to meet other writers. All are welcome, old hands and newbies alike, and you can write whatever you like. To find us, seek out the people with laptops and notebooks (and I'll have a table sign if I remember to pack it!)

Straw hats and Joycean attire not compulsory but certainly (heavily) encouraged. :-) "Come forth, Lazarus. And he came fifth and lost the job" (Ulysses, chapter 8). Let's celebrate Bloomsday by having a swim in Joycean attire. **Read** The final lines of Molly's soliloquy (obviously not all 40 pages of it), will be read. **Swim** Let's have a dive into the snotgreen and scrotumtightening sea. The swim is at your own risk! We are no lifeguards and we only arrange the meeting point. Make sure you have enough layers to keep warm before and after the swim, bring something warm to drink too. Some wear wetsuits, others don't so, some want to swim a bit of distance, others just want dip and get out - it's your swim, do what you want and meet us after... **Eat** Having demonstrated our incredible bravery, we will continue our adventure at a local café (time and venue TBC later, will try and source one that hopefully provides Joycean fare). Eating and drinking are at your own risk too. Will your eyes be bigger than your stomach? Don't leave it too late to sign up for the swim so I can book enough seats in the café afterwards. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, post them in comments for this swim. Browse discussions if you want to ask about the group or other events. See you on Sunday June 14. My number 0860597787

Join us for this interesting movie...Through her personal letters, the film offers an intimate look at the Mexican artist’s life, emotions, and artistic vision - featuring new material from the 2026 Tate Britain and MFA Houston Kahlo exhibition. NB. tickets can be booked up quickly so best to book online ASAP 👍 😍 We're in balcony seat p11

**🎟️ Attendance is free but booking is essential.** Join us for an afternoon of poetry from award-winning writers Annelise Berghenti, Lily Blacksell and Rosamund Taylor. Themes will range from womanhood to the natural world; the everyday to the extraordinary, in a mixture of new work and recently published poems from Lily Blacksell’s collection *Life Immediately* (Bloodaxe, 2026), and Rosamund Taylor’s verse novel *Filly* (Banshee Press, 2025). Jessica Traynor, fellow Bloodaxe poet and Poetry Editor at *Banshee*, will introduce the event. #### ABOUT THE POETS ROSAMUND TAYLOR is the winner of the Rialto Poetry Prize 2025, the Telegraph Poetry Prize 2023, The London Magazine Poetry Prize 2020 and the Mairtín Crawford Award for Poetry 2017. In 2023, her debut collection, *In Her Jaws* (Banshee Press 2022), was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for a First Collection and the Yeats Society Poetry Prize, and longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. Her essays have recently appeared in *The Irish Times* *and The Stinging Fly*, and her poems have featured in *Butcher’s Dog, Magma, Mslexia, Poetry Ireland Review* and on BBC Radio 4 and RTE Radio 1. *Filly*, her novel in verse, was published by Banshee last year. LILY BLACKSELL is a poet living in London. Her poems have appeared in Poetry Review, BOMB Magazine, Bath Magg, Poetry London, Poetry Wales and elsewhere. She runs a poetry and music night called Canon Fodder. Her two pamphlets are *There’s No Such Thing* (ignition press) and *Stressed, Tested* (Rough Trade Books). Her first full-length collection, *Life Immediately*, is published by Bloodaxe Books. ANNELISE BERGHENTI is a poet living in Dublin, where she grew up. She has an MFA in poetry from Columbia University and her poems have been published by *Banshee*, *Headstuff*, *Rainbow Agate*, and other publications.

NOTE: This is a hike, not a walk. There are hills. If it rains, it might be slippy or muddy. The hills are not difficult hills but they are hills. Please have suitable footwear and clothes for the weather. Please bring water, suncream, snacks. Free event, as always. ■ And as always, this is entirely in every way at your own risk. This is a loop hike. We start and finish at Woodbrook train station. Hello! 🙂 Meeting time: 1050am. Departure time: 11am sharp - please don't be late. Meeting place: We meet outside Woodbrook train station. Route: 14km. Expected time: 3hrs 30mins. Toilets: at Shanganagh cemetery near the start and end of the walk. This event is free though donations (cash or Revolut) are very much welcome as I renew my organiser subscription annually in the Summer and I prefer to cover this cost of $215 (they invoice us in dollars) through optional donations in the Summer instead of having a set fee per event. Thanks! Food Break: there isn't an official food break on this walk. The breaks will be weather dependent. Please bring your own food and water etc. Note / Disclaimer: Attending this event and every event in this group is entirely in every possible way at your own risk. Any questions, message me. The walk will be cancelled if there is a yellow orange or red weather warning for Dublin or Wicklow for that day. Please please don't cancel on the day or forget to join us. Being a no show could result in you being removed from the group so please tell me if you're not joining us! Thanks! Alan

**Explore Bohernabreena Reservoir** * **Meeting Point : Tallaght Luas Stop.** * **When : Saturday, 13th of June.** * **Time : 12:00 PM.** * **How to get there ? Dublin Bus or Luas.** **We will be meeting at** **front** **of** **Tallaght Luas Stop** **at** **12:00 PM, waiting five minutes,** **then we will be walking to** **Tallaght Square Bus Stop.** **At 12:11, we are taking the Scheduled 82 Dublin Bus (Towards Kiltipper Way).** **Getting off at Marlfield Drive (7 Minutes Bus Ride, 8 Stops).** **It is a 23 minutes walk to the** **Starting Point.** * **Loop Duration 8.9KM.** * **Length 2-3 Hours.** **Every event is 5 Euro’s, you can pay by using Revolut or Cash** **Revolut: https://revolut.me/th0masl0r3nz0** **I hope to see you there !**

**Our Meetup is off to another hiking adventure! Mt Kilimanjaro, as the tallest mountain in Africa, is included in the 7 Summits of the world.** **It is a bucket-list item for all hard-core hikers and mountain lovers.** We did this trek with Meetup in the summer of 2024 and it was a true experience of a lifetime (see photos below) Let's get to some numbers. It is 5,895m/19,340ft BUT . . . our starting elevation for the trek is 3795m/12541ft As such elevation gain is 2100m/6799ft To compare Everest Base Camp trek, is about 2754m/9035ft elevation change. And Mt Whitney is about 1828m/6000ft elevation change. The key to being able to succeed in this endeavor lays in the route and the support system. We are taking the Lemosho Route via the Northern Circuit. The Northern Circuit route is the longest and newest of the seven established Kilimanjaro routes. It's one of the best routes because it has the best acclimatization profile. This results in one of the highest summit success rates. Add to that stunning views, and comparatively relaxed pace. It is also much less crowded than the other Kilimanjaro routes. As far as our support system: We will be accompanied by experienced guides, porters and cooks. They are certified, ensuring our safety and comfort. Porters will carry our gear. We will have a high ratio of guides to hikers. Our guides will go our pace and support each and everyone of us, regardless of fitness level and pace. In other words...you go your own speed and we all get there safe. More about our trek/trip. As with all our international trips, we picked the best season/time of year to go for weather and wildlife. Lemosho and Northern Circuit is a scenically spectacular and varied route. At the lower elevations it has an abundance of wildlife such as elephant, buffalo, eland and lion which come over to forage during dry season. **Each of our trips is personally crafted to offer the best places and best use of time.** *But I don't have the needed gear?!* You don't need much more than the standard trekker's equipment. We will provide you with a list of what is already included and what can be rented there. *Does this include food?* All meals on the trek potion are included and a cook travels with us! *What is lodging like?* We are sleeping in new and comfortable tents (carried during the day by porters) *I am new at this.* That's OK. We do plenty of prep Zooms before we depart. And in California we have a number of local outdoor day or weekend outings you can test out with us. *How dangerous is this? What if I get sick or hurt?* We will be walking on an established, well used trail the entire time. **Our trip INCLUDES emergency insurance.** We are also Certified Wilderness First Responders and our guides are members of (AMREF) Flying Doctor. **Plain and simple, safety is our primary goal.** *How much does this cost?* **Kilimanjaro Mountain Trek $3950 per person, double occupancy. Land only (airfare not included). Solo supplement $600** Trip Cost includes: \- 9 nights accommodation \- 3 meals everyday on the trek \- All Fees & Entrances and Taxes \- Camping equipment such as tents\, tables\, chairs\. \- Lead Guide\, Assistant Guides\, Porters and Cook *RSVP to this event shows your interest, but does not hold your space.* ***The only way to secure your spot for this trip is a $300 deposit:*** ***[CLICK HERE FOR SECURE DEPOSIT LINK](https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/8P9NUAVQM8UEN)*** *Deposit is refundable up to 90 days before the departure (less PayPal fees).* *IF you need an airfare quote,* [Click here to message Anna](https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=131297062) For more information about this or any of our other international events, fill out this form: **[INTERNATIONAL MEETUPS INFO REQUEST](https://forms.gle/cQdqYw74gAYqphXX8)** To see pictures from our Kilimanjaro adventure in 2024 [CLICK HERE](https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPkfkUp6sEZVQ-xse1di_K19d1QVmSb5KOLeIjynRoWGv_XFLXI8wBfT61XxAHavg?key=U2tKajBuOGRiZkxBOUtTUG1GbUVRVmlDaERCeG5n) We do a monthly Q & A Zoom: Meet others attending, be social, or come and get any questions answered. [Click Here to RSVP to our Zoom](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/296044209/) The MAIN location where this event is posted: [https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/302872805/](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/302872805/) (RSVP there for any conversation and comments) This events is cross posted to several other groups and the number of RSVPs on each is not reflective. We have a set of sister groups where we post our local free, local/regional camping, and our overseas events too. [Click Here ](https://www.meetup.com/CulturalArts/Events)for our other events: Live the adventure instead of only dreaming it! SOT 200318-10

Storytelling Open Mic at Library. Sign up list goes out at 10:30 a.m. (**in the morning**, Do not show up 10:30 at night) Each performer will get 6 minutes to tell their story via Microphone. A true story. If you don't want to tell a story this time around, feel free to come enjoy the storytellers and relax. If you need to cancel, please change your status to "will not attend." Street parking is abundant. Train is one block away.

[Profs and Pints Northern Virginia](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Can Artificial Intelligence ‘See’?”** A look at how humans and artificial intelligence systems interpret the visual world in fundamentally different ways, with Arryn Robbins, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Richmond and cognitive scientist who researches visual attention, perception, and category learning. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-can-AI-see) .] Artificial intelligence can now identify faces, categorize objects, describe scenes, and outperform humans on certain visual tasks. But does AI actually “see” the world the way that people do? Or does it arrive at correct answers using representations that differ markedly from human perception? Join Arryn Robbins of the University of Richmond for a fascinating exploration of how humans and AI construct meaning from visual information and a look at comparisons between human perception and AI that reveal just how dynamic and context-dependent our own visual systems really are. Dr. Robbins, who previously has given excellent Profs and Pints talks on flaws and biases in human visual perception, will draw from research in cognitive science, visual perception, and AI vision systems. She’ll explain how human perception is not merely a simple recording of the world, but an active process shaped by expectations, context, goals, and recent experience. You’ll learn how humans form flexible mental representations that allow us to recognize objects across changing environments and conditions, and why those representations continuously adapt as we interact with the world. Many AI systems, by contrast, learn visual categories through statistical patterns in data. They can produce impressive results, but sometimes they also produce strange and unexpected failures, and sometimes they classify images in ways that seem strange to us. Dr. Robbins will discuss what these differences reveal about the nature of perception itself, and why the mismatch between human and AI representations matters for technologies like self-driving cars, medical imaging, facial recognition, and automated surveillance. Important for anyone trying to understand the rapidly growing role of AI in daily life, this talk will explore one of the biggest questions in cognitive science and artificial intelligence: What does it actually mean to “see” and understand the world? (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: “Eye Farm” by Nevit Dilmen (Wikimedia Commons).

Storytelling Open Mic at Library. Sign up list goes out at 11:00 a.m. (**in the morning**, Do not show up 11:00 at night) Each performer will get 6 minutes to tell their story via Microphone. A true story. If you don't want to tell a story this time around, feel free to come enjoy the storytellers and relax. If you need to cancel, please change your status to "will not attend." Street parking is abundant with ample parking.

### Hopeful Cafe Conversations @Panera Kentlands **You are cordially invited to join in the conversation to catch the positive vibe... a cup of coffee, or another of your favorite refreshment.** **At NEW HOPE CAFE CONVERSATIONS on 3rd Saturdays, Monthly** **Address: Panera, 285 Kentlands Blvd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878** **Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83326239362** ===== **New Hope Workshop**: What is Negativity Bias? How do we get ahead of it to reach more positive outcomes in work, life, and relationships? Discover the difference between goals and outcomes. 1\. How do we reaffirm ones role\, despite negativity bias from others? 2\. The New Hope Community Affirmative Statements of Foundational Principles 3\. Your Perspectives in Conversation **"Star Points Meal Deal"** If you have New Hope "Star Points 💫" you can get a discount on a meal. Also you can earn Star Points, if this is your first time attending Cafe Conversations, in-person. Ask Gene, newhope321community@yahoo.com, 240-848-0808.

Please arrive early (no later than 7:30) to stretch out and warm up. Wear a black jersey and bring a pair of shin guards.