TITLE - William J Moylan: Irish Newsman, Film-maker and Adventurer in India & Pakistan, 1920s-1950s
Leader - Isolde Moylan, Bray Heads U3A Team member

Thu, 11/04/2024 from 10:30 - 12:30 in Bray Golf Club

In this extensively illustrated talk to our group, Isolde will be recounting the colourful story of her beloved father, William J (Bill) Moylan, a story which she and her siblings knew little about until retirement and COVID lockdown time provided them with an opportunity to embark on a virtual journey of discovery to track his life before them. Details following.
TITLE - Visit in April – FULLY BOOKED
Leader -

Thu, 18/04/2024 from 12:30 - 13:30 in

Glass palaces, pond and river banks, extinct species, rare species, banana trees, vegetables, wildlife, a Viking House, Garden Tea Room and, oh yes, 50 acres with over 17,000 plants on a direct public transport route from Bray Daly Station (Bus 155) – what is this place? The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. Sign up now for a guided tour of this treasure of Dublin on Thursday, 18th April at 12.30pm. Group size limited to 25 people. Fee of €7 (includes modest gratuity for the guide) to be paid on the day. Duration of guided tour 1 hour approx. To book your place please send an email as soon as possible to info@thebrayheadsu3a.ie with Botanic Gardens in the subject heading. Detailed information on transport options to follow, these include Bus (direct route as above), combination of LUAS/DART + Bus from city centre or by car. There is limited parking at Glasnevin but parking places cannot be guaranteed.
TITLE - An Claíomh Solais – the Sword of Light in Early Irish and Indo-European tradition
Leader - Professor Charles Doherty, UCD

Thu, 25/04/2024 from 10:30 - 12:30 in Bray Golf Club

In 1916 a sword was brought up by fishermen from bottom of Ballyshannon Harbour. Unique in Ireland, it is one of about eighty such swords found throughout Europe. They are classed as anthropoid since the hilt has a human shape – the pommel represents the head while the arms and legs form the guards. These have been an object of study since the 1920s. There has been no conclusion concerning the rationale of the anthropoid form or purpose for which these swords/daggers were created. Using Early Irish and Indo-European literature and mythology, alongside the archaeological evidence, I propose an interpretation that may provide a solution to the enigma of these objects.
TITLE - How does Google work: search maps
Leader - Professor Alan Smeaton

Thu, 09/05/2024 from 10:30 - 12:30 in Bray Golf Club

Google (technically known as Alphabet) is one of the most profitable companies in the world with a huge brand name recognised around the world and a range of digital services that we have stealthily become utterly dependent on within less than a generation. Their annual turnover is so large that if they were a country they would be the same size as Hundary. They have an important presence in Ireland with 5,500 direct full-time employees out of their 180,000 staff globally. Google is the dominant force in the very lucrative search engine market answering more than 90% of searches globally, except in China where Google is blocked. But how did they get to be so dominant, what makes Google different from their competitors, how do they maintain that stranglehold on the search business, and how does their search engine, their YouTube and even their Maps systems actually work ? In this talk I will give an overview of this most intriguing of companies and their services and also address how they are threatened by ChatGPT. Alan Smeaton is Professor of Computing at Dublin City University where he has been Dean and Head of School of Computing. He is an established and well-known AI researcher for many years and was recently appointed to the Irish Government's AI Advisory Council.
TITLE - Visit to the gardens of Castle Howard Estate, Avoca, Co. Wicklow
Leader -

Thu, 16/05/2024 from 10:30 - 13:00 in

A date for your diary: Thursday, 16th May, 2024 Visit to the gardens of Castle Howard Estate, Avoca, Co. Wicklow. A beautiful formal garden with Clock Tower folly, terraces, rose garden, box hedging and woodland walks. This will be a morning visit from 10.30 to 13.00 in the afternoon. Bookings will open in early April.
TITLE -
Leader - TO BE CONFIRMED

Thu, 23/05/2024 from 10:30 - 12:30 in Bray Golf Club


TITLE - Uncoiling the Ropes: A Climbing Life
Leader - Clare Sheridan has been at the forefront of Irish climbing for decades and has long been a role model for women climbers.

Thu, 06/06/2024 from 10:00 - 12:00 in

1970s Ireland had a message for Clare Sheridan; "Girls don't climb" But in an era when there was no shortage of voices telliing women how they should behave, Clare wasn't listening. Fresh out of convent boarding school, she was determined to venture onto steep rock and see the world from a different perspective. Climbing quickly became her passion and Clare's thirst for adventure was matched only by her courage. She was soon recognised as a pioneering leader by the top climbers of the day, not least Belfast mountaineer Calvin Torrans, the love of her life, whom she met on her first trip to the Alps. They have been climbing together ever since, tackling some of the most difficult routes on mountains all over the world and achieving a phenomenal succession of first ascents on Irish Cliffs, even as they raised a family of three. In this talk, Clare will recreate in vivid detail the fears, the triumphs and the losses of a lifetime of heart-stopping adventures along with reflections on risk and courage, motherhood, self-belief and the joy of living fearlessly. In 2014, Clare was the first woman to be awarded the Lynam medal by Mountaineering Ireland, and The Irish Times said, "She is to mountaineering what Sonia O'Sullivan is to athletics and Katie Taylor to boxing." Clare has written many articles for The Irish Mountain Log and co-edited numerous rock climbing guidebooks along with her husband, climbing legend Calvin Torrans.

Link - Publisher - Mweelrea Press - Clare Sheridan "Uncoiling the Ropes . The memoir of a trailblazing Irish climber";


TITLE - A visit to Trinity College Dublin
Leader -

Wed, 12/06/2024 from 11:00 - 12:30 in

NOTE: CHANGE OF DATE The tour will visit lesser known parts of Trinity College and will be led by Jane Grimson and Bruce Misstear Details to follow.
TITLE - SUMMER BREAK TO 6 SEPTEMBER
Leader -

Fri, 14/06/2024 from 10:30 - 12:30 in



Print Date: 29 Mar 2024