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| 🎄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 ÂI 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. ÂI will be at the lunch |
Â In 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 ÂAqua 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. ÂIf 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  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. |
