The February miscellany took place on Tuesday, February 11th in The Teachers’ Club @ 11.30
Sheila Flitton ( she was the banshee in The Banshee of Inisherin) performed a one woman show called Beezie.
It was about the life & times of a woman called Beezie! and it was approximately an hour long. It was a riveting and entertaining show!
Here are some pictures, compliments of Donal O Loingsigh
Dear RTA Colleague
This letter is to update you on the situation re dancing classes 2025.
Our ballroom dance classes resumed on Thurs. 16th Jan. with a full house of eager and enthusiastic. participants. Such was the level of interest in the classes that I was unable to accept all those who
wished to participate and a waiting list was affected. I am in negotiations with the manager of the
Teacher’s Club and our dance teachers with a view of running 2 dance classes on a Thursday
morning, come Sept. 2025, should numbers warrant same. One class would start at10:30 and the
second at 11:30 , ending at12:30 . If you would like to join a class in Sept ’25 email me or text me
and I will get back to you in late Aug for an update from you. This term’s dance steps include slow
foxtrot, slow waltz, rumba, cha cha-cha, jive, quickstep, barn dance and some line dancing. You
might even get an opportunity to embellish your prowess at an Old Time Waltz at the next term of
classes.
On the away front, a return trip to Marbella (San Pedro del Alcantara) is going ahead from 13 – 18
Oct 2025. Last year’s outing there proved to be an outstanding success with a most enjoyable and
action-packed week had by all in attendance. This year’s outing is almost fully booked out with just
a few places still remaining. So, if you would like to unleash your passion for dance and learn the
fiery rhythm of salsa, the playful sway of cha cha-cha and the smooth moves of bachata and
merengue why not join us for the week??? Classes run from 11:00 hrs to 13:00 hrs Tues – Sat (incl).
Remember dancing is not just a workout, it’s a way to celebrate life, connect with others, enhance
one’s wellbeing and improve mental acuity by learning and recalling dance steps: more important
still, it’s about having FUN.
If you would like any further info on the above email me ( mmacfhlann@gmail.com) or text /call me
087-6305440 and I will be glad to assist you.
Yours in dance
Micheál Mac Fhlannchadha
28/01/2025
December 10 dawned, bright and sunny, temperate for the time of year. Ideal weather for our Christmas Miscellany. The Club was once again filled with members from all over the capital, gathered for a fest of Christmas carols, fun and frolics!
Carmel Uí Loingsigh, our bean a’ tí, was in sparkling form, literally, in a sparkling black number, as she introduced all the usual performers. The incomparable Joe Johnston accompanied the carol singing, accompanied by Úna and Peter, on the guitar. The talented Shanley duo, Mick and Eithne entertained us with a sketch and a wonderful rendition of the iconic Fairytale of New York.
We had poetry – Úna Ní Cheallaigh, story telling with Carmel Dempsey, saxaphone playing with Bernie Mangan, and group carol singing. Una Johnston led the audience in a group rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas with the audience actively joining in with sections performing as each of the 12 days.
Finally, birthday wishes were offered to Tadhg Mac Pháidín, this being his birthday. Our thanks to the Club for continuing to host our gatherings, to the staff who organise the furniture and the meal and to Doreen for her front of house activities.
We wish all our members a very happy Christmas and we hope to see you at our next miscellany in February.
Denis Costello who made a presentation on the early sculptures of Michelangelo, including The Statue of David, to the South Dublin branch of the RTAI in Club Na Múinteoirí on 13 February 2024. Photo courtesy of Dónal Ó Loingsigh
November 27th Was this the first snowfall of winter? A little snow doesn’t deter RTAI walkers! A brave cohort still sallied forth, braving the cold and the elements! Beautiful day at Powerscourt with 12 other hardy walkers. John Tuohy, with a snow covered Maulin in the background. The Waterfall in full spate behind Nuala and Deirdre. I am indebted to Deirdre McLoughlin for the photos below.
It’s hard to think that another year has come and gone, but alas, it has and here we are another year older, although this writer must confess to not being any wiser! In any case Season’s Greetings to all members and I hope that you are all in rude health and like me, looking forward to a New Year and a new Government!
All the “old reliables” duly performed at the Drop In. Everyone joined in with gusto on all the carol singing. John did his thing with the Saw; Joe was an avuncular Master of Ceremonies, the Wexford Carol was sung sweetly and the session was rounded off with a resounding rendition of the Fairy Tale of New York by Eoin. Cór Cnoc Liamhna, the Irish choir sang a carol but unfortunately time did not allow for additional singing from the choir. The choir is in urgent need of male voices! If you are a baritone, a tenor or indeed can string a few vocal chords together, the choir wants to hear from you! Joe or Una Johnston are at the end of a phone to take your details!
A huge thank you Branch Committee for their hard work in rolling out the Drop In’s for the year. Our thanks too the the staff of BYCC for their hard work in assisting us and in particular their hard work in providing the sandwiches and mince pies and tea/coffee so expeditiously today to such a large crowd. A personal word of thanks to the electrics man who ensured that the overhead projector worked seamlessly with my laptop.
Finally, a word of warning to those members who absconded with two mince pies! We are examining CCTV footage to catch those pesky rascals who helped themselves to my mince pie and the mince pies of many others. The “heavy gang” will be paying you a visit before Christmas! Next year, committee, more mince pies and less sandwiches, please!
I am also appealing to members who have something to contribute to the blog to please send me their articles. I will use the mailing system to inform you how you can do that. Merry Christmas!
The AGM was held in Club na Múinteoirí on Wednesday November 27th. There was a record attendance of 120, in spite of the cold weather. The proceedings, as usual, began with Aifreann na Marbh and the celebrant was the avuncular Mon Dan O’Connor, Indeed, a highlight of the proceedings were the jokes and homily delivered by Fr Dan.
We were very pleased to have as a guest speaker, President Of RTAI, Charlotte Maye. Charlotte told us that she started her teaching career in Taney NS, Dundrum. So had she continued her teaching career in Dublin, Charlotte would have become a member of Dublin South RTAI!
The business side of the meeting was efficiently carried out by the Secretary, Deirdre Lohan and Cathaoirleach Maura Roberts. The treasurer, Mary O’Connor explained the accounts and these were adopted.
Connie Steele has decided to step down as Leas Cisteoir. Connie is continuing on Committee where she does fantastic work on organising golf lessons for members.
An unfailing and most popular part of the proceedings is the “draw” at the end of the meeting where a number of lucky members are drawn at random to receive a token. Here we have some of the lucky recipients this year.
As usual Anne Kitterick accompanied the singing during the Mass. We are ever grateful to Anne who never lets us down and comes out in all weathers to be present.
Peigí Ó Ruairc once again volunteered as a Minister of the Eucharist in the distribution of communion
Finally Matt Reville gave a short presentation on our website. He said that only 500 of a possible 1200 members have registered to receive the blog. He appealed for contributions form both members and from branch committee. A query was raised by a member as to the possibility of establishing a Facebook Page for the branch. Matt indicated that such a page would present a major headache to monitor. It would be open to any member of the public to access, and inevitably it would be subject to attacks by trolls, causing much hurt to our profession. The blog on the other hand is only available to members. The moderator can filter out bogus requests for membership, and each post is instantly transferred to a member’s inbox. Once you register to receive you don’t have to access the blog again. Each new post will be sent directly to your inbox.
Matt appealed to members to send him submissions. So many of our members are involved with voluntary organisations, writing poetry and fiction etc. Please send your finished products to us and we will publish Matt appealed for a mix of contributions, to include both print and visual items.
The annual walk on Sliabh Bloom took place yesterday in glorious sunshine. Once again, many thanks to Carmel and Matt Dempsey for their amazing hospitality and generosity. Thanks also to the members who provided such great entertainment. It was a truly fantastic day.
The branch organises many monthly activities for members. The most popular are our walks, cycles, Pilates, book clubs and the monthly “Drop In”
There are two walks and two cycles organised each month. If you would like to participate, please get in touch with our Secretary, Deirdre Lohan, for more information .The Drop In, in the Ballyroan Youth and Community Centre, takes place on the first Wednesday of the month and all are welcome to drop in for a cuppa and a chat. There are occasional guest speakers or activities organised for the Drop In and these are well flagged through an email to members.
Here we have a picture taken from the Bluebell walk, a short while ago. We must say a word of thanks to our teams of voluntary leaders for the walks and cycle trips, without whom we simply couldn’t function
Dublin South RTA 