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My Brilliant Divorce

As we previously advertised, the Armagh Theatre Group have organised a special performance of My Brilliant Divorce exclusively for u3a members and their guests.

A hit throughout 2022 with packed-out performances in Armagh, Belfast, Coalisland and Monaghan this is a play which should not be missed!!

My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron is a kind of mid-life Alice in Wonderland. Angela, played by Bridie Heaney, is shocked into a predicament she was not expecting – no spoiler here, her husband has left her! However, a resourceful lady like Angela must face her suddenly altered circumstances with a newfound determination. Geraldine Aron’s script has an irresistible Irish twinkle – it is funny, sad, angry, insightful and above all, articulate. Here is a play with grounded warmth and humour which ripples with wonderful tiny moments.

This will be performed in the Abbey Lane Theatre, Armagh on Friday 10th February at 7.30 pm. Tickets cost £10 including an interval glass of wine.

Payment will be taken at the door but you need to reserve your seats as Abbey Lane has limited seating. 

To do this please email Tim at timbohanna1953@gmail.com and include,

· Your name, email address and telephone number

· and indicate the number of tickets you require

Hope to see you all there to kickstart the year in style.

News

December Newsletter

🎄December Newsletter
Merry Xmas!It’s nearly here and your committee wishes you the most festive time over the holidays. To help get you in the mood we have organised some Xmas events and hope as many can attend as possible.

Details are given below and can you let us know if you are likely to attend? You do this in the usual way by clicking on the associated buttons.

So Merry Xmas and a Happy Hogmanay and hoping to see you at all the events! If you know of anyone who is having difficulties receiving these newsletters can you let them know that a copy can be found on our website…..https://www.u3aarmagh.org/
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🔔 Holiday Events


XMAS QUIZ 

After a COVID hiatus, the Xmas Quiz is back!
This will be held in the …   
         
 Armagh Golf Club            on December 12th              starting at 10.00 am 

Coffee and mince pies kick off our event and since its Xmas they are of course free! As always this is a fun quiz but we have prizes for those who do well. Turn up as a team of four or just yourself and we will organise teams. To give us an idea of numbers let us know if you’re going to attend – so we can order the mince pies – by clicking on the button below

­I will be at the quiz­
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As with the quiz we are to hold our Xmas lunch after a 2-year gap and as always this will be on Friday, January 13th!
Margaret Oaks and Anne Cassidy have done an excellent job in negotiating to achieve the best venue – the Armagh City Hotel – and menu.
This year members will be greeted with a hot punch followed by a selection from the menu below. Note, you make your choice at the event so you don’t need to worry about forgetting what you ordered
😋 
Starter:
Chef’s Homemade Soup of the Day
Chicken Caesar Salad Tossed with Bacon Bits, Parmesan Cheese Shavings and Creamy Dressing
Main:
Slow Roasted Irish Sirloin Beef Served with Yorkshire Pudding, Rosemary & Shiraz Gravy
Pan Seared Salmon
Vegetarian Pasta Dish
Desert:
Pavlova
Fruit Cocktail 

If you have any special dietary requirements you can let us know when booking. To tempt you even more we will be subsidising the event so this will only cost £25/person.
All this and raffle prizes and maybe even some form of entertainment. We do spoil you! 
We need you to book your places before the lunch and will be in the Armagh City Hotel foyer on December 14th and January 4th between 10.30 am and 12.15 pm to collect payments.

Again to let us plan can you click on the link below if you’re going to attend.
­I will be at the lunch­
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n collaboration with the Armagh Theatre Group, we are proposing to host a private audience of u3a members and friends, on a date to be confirmed in January 2023.
This will be of the group’s massively successful production of My Brilliant Divorce by Geraldine Aron and held in the Abbey Lane Theatre. Armagh. The cost will be a discounted £10 per ticket and this will include a glass of wine.
My Brilliant Divorce is a kind of mid-life Alice in Wonderland. Angela, played by Bridie Heaney, is shocked into a predicament she was not expecting – no spoiler here, her husband has left her! However, a resourceful lady like Angela must face her suddenly altered circumstances with a newfound determination. Geraldine Aron’s script has an irresistible Irish twinkle – it is funny, sad, angry, insightful and above all, articulate. Here is a play with grounded warmth and humour which ripples with wonderful tiny moments and should not be missed!!!
Produced by Kevin McEneaney and with support on stage by Margery Quinn and David O’Toole, you are guaranteed a great night’s entertainment to start the New Year. 
As always numbers dictate the viability of such events so can you please let us know if you are interested and remember to bring as many friends as you want? Kick start the new year with a group theatre outing. Let us know before January if your likely to attend and how many tickets are required.­

I’ll be there and require tickets­
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Xmas present idea

Our own Lorna Quin has just published her second volume of “Yes! We Have No Bananas”, a collection of personal memories gathered through interviewing individuals who grew up during the years of the Second World War. She has stories from various places in Northern Ireland, two interviews from the Republic of Ireland, two from England and two from America and has also interviewed a lady who grew up under the Nazis in Austria.
As Lorna says, “each story is unique and if we don’t preserve these memories, sadly they are going to be lost as they are moving out of living memory.”   
All profits from book sales are given to Research into Parkinson’s Disease at the Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.  The book is available in local shops including Macari’s, Whittle’s, Hunter’s, Tandragee Garden Centre, Winnie’s Portadown, Dodd’s Hamiltonsbawn, Wood’s Richhill etc.
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We have finally managed to find a venue for our monthly meetings. These will be held in the, The Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich Memorial Library on the third Friday of each month Our first meeting will be in February. Full details of what’s happening will appear in next month’s newsletter. 
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DECEMBER  Calendar
Hill Walking Group
This group complete walks along country lanes, in forest parks, hills, and mountains. Walks are usually 2-4 hours. We meet weekly on Thursdays at the Armagh Palace car park by the children’s play park and depart promptly at 9.30 am.  For more information contact, Caroline at cbgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group.

 Tuesday Walkers
For those seeking a more gentle walk and talk. The schedule for this month is
6th          Darkley Forest
13th        Carnagh
20th        Bantry 
The group meets on Tuesdays at the Palace car park near the children’s playground at 10.00 am. For more details contact, Patricia McConville at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com.

Cycling group. 
Given that poorer weather is likely over winter the group will probably meet infrequently.  Those interested or requesting date information should contact Peter Good at pdgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group. Cycling is mostly on secondary or minor roads, occasionally on major roads. Distance cycled is approximately 30-35KM (3 hours) with a coffee stop along the way. Members must have their own bikes, helmets and Hi-Vis tops and be comfortable with cycling on roads. Communication is by a WhatsApp group.

Pilates­
Classes are underway once more with 2 classes each Wednesday. At present these are full but often have vacancies so if you are interested contact, Margaret. Please note that we are negotiating with the hotel to get the second group a more accessible time. For more information contact Margaret at tro111@hotmail.com­

­Aqua Aerobics­
Given that December is busy for both members and the hotel, classes will cease at the end of November and restart in January. More information will be in the next month’s newsletter. ­If you are interested then contact Dennis at denu3a@gmail.com
 
Bridge – Online Group The online sessions are held on a Wednesday at 7.00 pm using the BridgeBase Online platform which is very easy to use, for full details of how to play online contact, 
Dennis at denu3a@gmail.com

 Bridge – Face-to-Face Group
The face-to-face sessions are each Monday held in the Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich Memorial Library between 2.00 and 4.30 pm. We have a beginners group who are starting from scratch and a playing group for those with a little more experience.
If you are interested please come along or contact, Patricia at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com
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u3a Choir The choir meet at 9 vicars Hill on Wednesdays between 3 30 and 4 30 pm. They are preparing for an event on 13th December so come along and get those vocal cords working! If you are interested contact Kathleen at Kathleen.daly41@icloud.com.­
News

November Newsletter

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­­November Newsletter­
­­Up and Running!The good news is that many of the groups are now active and we have details about these below. In addition, can we thank all those who attended our first “Out-to-Lunch” of the season held in Armagh Golf Club Parkland restaurant We had 22 attendees who agreed the food was excellent, the company good and the craic to be appreciated. The consensus was that this was a success and we need to plan another.
If you know of anyone who is having difficulties receiving these newsletters can you let them know that a copy can be found on our website…..https://www.u3aarmagh.org/­­
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­­We are hoping to plan another coffee morning later this month so watch this space. Full details will follow once the venue and date are agreed upon. ­­­
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­The main problem in restarting these is finding a suitable venue. We have lost the use of the Armagh Golf Club and are still searching for a suitable alternative. Again we will keep you informed of developments.­­
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As in previous years, we are hoping to organise a December quiz and want to know the format you prefer. There are two options; a pub quiz format with teams and a quiz master or a more relaxed affair where a paper quiz is available and you complete this at your leisure.
Let us know by clicking on the button below.­­
What type of quiz?­­­
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­­November  Calendar­
­­­Hill Walking Group
This group complete walks along country lanes, in forest parks, hills, and mountains. Walks are usually 2-4 hours. We meet weekly on Thursdays at the Armagh Palace car park by the children’s play park and depart promptly at 9.30 am.  Please remember that hiking carries risks and participation in hiking or walking activities can result in injury. It is the responsibility of each walker to ensure they have the experience, clothing and fitness for any walks they undertake. 
For more information contact, Caroline at cbgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group.

Tuesday Walkers
For those seeking a more gentle walk and talk. The schedule for this month is……..
 1st           Hope Castle
8th          Scarva Towpath
15th        Dungannon Park
22nd       Loughgall Park
29th        Palace Demense 
The group meets on Tuesdays at the Palace car park near the children’s playground at 10.00 am.
 For more details contact, Patricia McConville at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com.

Cycling group. 
Given that poorer weather is likely over winter the group will probably meet infrequently.  Those interested or requesting date information should contact Peter Good at pdgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group. ­
Background – Cycling is mostly on secondary or minor roads, occasionally on major roads. Distance cycled is approximately 30-35KM (3 hours) with a coffee stop along the way. Members must have their own bikes, helmets and Hi-Vis tops and be comfortable with cycling on roads. Communication is by a WhatsApp group.

Pilates­
Classes are underway once more with 2 classes each Wednesday. At present these are full but often have vacancies so if you are interested contact, Margaret. For more information contact Margaret at tro111@hotmail.com
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­Aqua Aerobics­
In collaboration with the Armagh City Hotel, we have organised class to be held in their pool on a Thursday at 10.00 am. The first FREE class was held in the last week of October and the feedback was very positive.
There are still places so…… ­If you are interested contact Dennis at denu3a@gmail.com

Bridge – Online Group 
The online sessions are held on a Wednesday at 7.00 pm using the BridgeBase Online platform which is easy to use for full details of how to play online contact, 
Dennis at denu3a@gmail.com
 
Bridge – Face-to-Face Group
The face-to-face group meet each Monday in the Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich Memorial Library at 2.00 pm. We have a beginners group of about 12 who are starting from scratch and a playing group for those with experience.
If you are interested please come along or contact, Patricia at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com
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u3a Choir 
The choir have had two meetings at 9 vicars Hill and meets Wednesdays between 3 30 and 4 30 pm. They are preparing for an event on13th December so come along and get those vocal cords working!
 If you are interested contact Kathleen at kathleen.daly41@icloud.com.
Aqua Aerobics, Groups

Aqua Aerobics

Sorry to report that there has been insufficient interest in the Aqua Aerobic classes to make them cost-effective at this time. I will periodically ask again to see if the situation changes so stay tuned.

Aqua Aerobics, Groups

Aqua Aerobics

In conjunction with the Armagh City Hotel, we have a chance to start an u3a Aqua Aerobics class on Thursdays at 10.00 am. We currently have 9 members interested but to keep costs to a minimum need to get as near to the maximum number of 15. 

We are hoping to have a 2-week taster session so members can decide if this is for them. If you did not previously show interest but feel you want to try Aqua Aerobics out let me know by replying to the email denu3a@gmail.com and we will get the ball rolling on organising the taster event.

News

­­October Newsletter­

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­­October Newsletter­
­­Thank You!Thanks to all who attended the first coffee morning and a special welcome to our newest members. There seemed to be lots of chatting, scoffing of scones and an overwhelming relief at getting going again.  As you will see there are lots of upcoming activities and events. As these need additional planning and frequently depend on the numbers interested, so we are asking for lots of feedback. Hopefully, this is an easy process where you click on one of the buttons below, get a very short set of questions to answer and submit these. This all helps us to identify what you want, when you want it and makes the planning of events much easier. So thanks in advance for helping by leaving your feedback. October Lunch OutingAs hinted at the coffee morning, we are aiming for a lunch outing this month and have made provisional arrangements to hold this at the Armagh Golf Club on Monday 10th October at 12.30 for 1.00 pm although the date can be changed if members need more time. We have a suggested 2 course menu which again can be modified so let us know what you think……. Main   Coley fish   Brisket of beef   Fillet of chickenAll served with mash, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetablesDessert  Roulade  Lemon posset  Bramley apple crumbleCost £20 If you are interested please click on the button below and give us some feedback. We will then email all members and let them know the final arrangements.­­
­­Click to leave feedback on the lunch­­
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­­ When do you want the next Coffee Morning? Given the success of coffee mornings, we are keen to keep them going. BUT…. why is there is always a but! Now we are getting up and running again our expenses are increasing so we would need to ask for a small contribution towards the coffee and scones. As aways we first ask you to show if you are interested in attending coffee mornings, what you think is a fare payment and lastly when you want the next palaver. Let us know what you think by clicking on the button below.­­Coffee Morning Feedback­­
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­­­ As yet we have not agreed a venue nor a speaker but we are actively pursuing possibilities and are hopeful that a meeting can be arrange for near the end of the month. As always we will give you all the details well in advance. Watch this space!­­
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­­October Groups Calendar­
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­Walking Groups Hill Walking Group
This group do walks along country lanes, in forest parks, hills, and mountains. Walks are usually 2-4 hours.We meet weekly on Thursdays at the Armagh Palace car park by the children’s play park and depart promptly at 9.30 am. Members of the group plan and decide on the next walk at the end of each walk. All communication is by a WhatsApp group. The leader of the walk posts information to the WhatsApp Group. All members are encouraged to take a turn in leading walks. Please remember that hiking carries risks and participation in hiking or walking activities can result in injury. It is the responsibility of each walker to ensure they have the experience and fitness for any walks they undertake; sturdy footwear and walking clothing are advised. Denim jeans are not suitable. 

For more information contact, Caroline at cbgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group.


 Tuesday Walkers
For those seeking a more gentle walk and talk. The schedule for October is……..
4th           Bantry
11th         Lurgan Park
18th         Peatlands
25th         Oxford Island
The group meets on Tuesdays at the Palace car park at 10.00 am. 

For more details contact, Patricia McConville at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com. ­
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­­ Cycling group. 
The group meet weekly on Wednesday mornings (weather permitting) at different locations. Cycling is mostly on secondary or minor roads, occasionally on major roads. Distance cycled is approximately 30-35KM (3hours) with a coffee stop along the way. Members must have their own bikes, helmets and Hi-Vis tops and be comfortable with cycling on roads. Communication is by a WhatsApp group. 
Those interested should contact Peter Good at pdgood@doctors.org.uk and add your mobile number to join the WhatsApp group.­­
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­­­­­­Pilates­Classes are underway once more and we have vacancies in the Wednesday 12.30 am group. These have proved to be very popular so if you are interested get in fast! For more information contact Margaret at tro111@hotmail.com­­
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­­­­­­Aqua Aerobics­
In collaboration with the Armagh City Hotel we have negotiated a possible class to be held in their pool on a Thursday at 10.00 am. This will have a maximum of 15 places and cost about £6. Again this depends on numbers so if you are interested click on the button below and let us know.­­
­­Click to leave feedback on Aqua Aerobics­­
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­­Bridge GroupThis is up and running again after the summer break. The online sessions are held on a Wednesday at 7.00 pm and last week we had 20 take part. If you are interested in finding out how to play online contact, 
Dennis at denu3a@gmail.com
 
The face-to-face sessions start again on Monday October 3rd in the Cardinal Tomas O Fiaich Memorial Library at 2.00 pm. If you are still worried about COVID issues we suggest you bring a mask and/or sanitising hand wash. Many other bridge groups have restarted without these but don’t hesitate to bring them if you feel more secure. We will also be holding beginners lessons at the same time. 
If you are interested please come along or contact, Patricia at patriciamcconville@btinternet.com­­
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­­­u3a Choir

Hopefully, the choir will start later this month. We are still negotiating the exact start date. As soon as we know we will send out an email. Choir meetings will be on a Thursday at 4.00 pm and are likely to be held in the Music Room of St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral.  If you are interested contact Kathleen at Kathleen.daly41@icloud.com.­­­

Family HistoryThis group hopes to restart in person towards the end of this month, could anyone interested in attending send their e-mail address to;  Richard at richardburns@rocketmail.com or ring me on my mobile 077 6866 3867 by Friday, 14th October.­­­­­

Local History sessions will provisionally start in October on Thursday, 13th from 11.30am. Venues will vary but these will be communicated well in advance for those who provide the details asked for below. Topics will include Armagh’s economic, social and political history from the late 18th century until early 20th century.  Those interested should send their email addresses and/or or mobile phone numbers to Mary McVeigh at mtmcveigh@icloud.com­­
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­­It’s YOUR u3a so let us Know!­
­­What MORE can we do for you? Although we are trying hard to get the existing groups up and running we want to expand our horizons. There seem to be a number of possibilities,

New groups – these run weekly or at a regular interval. Are there any YOU feel are needed? For example we had an active book club, can we resurrect this? Are there other physical activities we could organise?

Short courses – these are 6-10 week courses on set topics. For example, using an iPad, using the web, foreign languages (these might run at different levels), introductions to topics such as psychology. We may even pay providers for these! What do you think? 

What can you do for us?
We may all be retired but there are lots of skills our members have that others want to know about. Would you be willing to organise a group / run a short course on a topic that interests you? If so, we would LOVE to hear from you. Give us feedback on any of these by clicking on the link below to share your thoughts or even better your skills and interests.­­
Click here to give us your ideas­
News

Updated- Heritage from Home 3

November talks now added to the website.

Wednesday 14 September 2022 – March 2023

Following the success of the last two Heritage from Home series of online talks, Libraries NI is organising a third series this autumn and winter. Heritage from Home 3 will run from mid-September to mid-March.

The general theme this time will be migration and we will be exploring the movement of people, contemporary and historical in, out of and across Ireland. The following themes will be explored by speakers with different backgrounds and interests: Culture, the Environment, Family History, Literature, and historical events.

All events will be delivered via Zoom and can be followed on PC, laptop, iPad and on most smartphones.

More information can be found on the LibrariesNi Website

Executive Committee, News

September Newsletter

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­September Newsletter­
­­Welcome Back!The new u3a season has finally arrived and it is with great pleasure to report we are on track to provide face-to-face group activities once again. After the long COVID shutdown we have had to renegotiate venues and times and this is proving more time consuming than was anticipated. However, we hope to provide you with more details at our grand reopening coffee morning (details below). Our intention is to have a number of special events in the coming months to get us all back into the swing as quickly as possible. As soon as these are finalised we will let you know.­­
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­­To kickstart the season we are holding another of our popular coffee mornings. As before this is to be held in the, Armagh City hotel on Monday, September 12th starting at 10.30 am.  To make you feel welcome and in appreciation of you all renewing your membership the coffee and scones are on us! Meet old friends, make new friends, bring you friends but above all enjoy the craic. W have arranged a short presentation by Lorna Quin one of our own and a local authoress to give us a light-hearted talk. We also hope to provide details of where and when our existing groups will start meeting and also to elicit ideas from you on activities you want us to organise.­­­
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­­­These will be starting soon and will be in addition to coffee mornings which have been so successful they are to be added to our regular event schedule. We are in the process of arranging speakers for the monthly meetings and it is hoped that our first monthly meeting will take place in October. Details to follow.­­
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­­       September Calendar­
­­­Fuller details of all the classes such as the Bridge Group, the Local History group, the Family History group, etc will be provided once the venues have been confirmed. Details of the currently active groups are below.   Walking Group The group meets on Tuesdays at the Palace car park at 10.00 am. Details of the venues will appear next month. For more details contact, Patricia McConville on, patriciamcconville@btinternet.com­­­
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­­­­­­Pilates­Classes are underway once more and we have vacancies in the Wednesday 11.30 am group. These have proved to be very popular so if you are interested get in fast!Email – tro111@hotmail.com­­
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­­­See you all at the coffee morning