Lads and ladies, as a single 40 year old with no kids I’ve been steadily running out of people to hang out with for a few years.
Friends having kids, not being able to go out because of a mortgage or saving for a deposit for one. Nobody is around most of the time.
I’m in Dublin city centre and was looking for clubs to join.
I’m mainly interested in writing groups and possibly a chess/board game thing.
Anyone know any good places? I can afford paying 5-10 euro in the door but couldn’t afford proper classes. Mainly looking for groups if that makes sense.
Anyone know any? I hope it’s cool to ask this here.
Hey I know im a bit far from you but I run a writing group. You're more than welcome, I do have someone who travels from Dublin, maybe you could carpool? Or there is a nice one near stoneybatter I think but im not sure if they charge
Oh cool. Where is your group based?
It's based in Meath so its probably way out of reach for you. But there's a fantastic bunch of people from late 30's up and we've become friends. Im fiercely proud of it.
Nuts, sounds great. Fair play btw.
Thats a shame. Check out the irish writers centre for a list of local ones. They're really bad at updating that information though, I know mine isn't on it yet.
Where in Meath? What levels do you cater to? I have been thinking about getting back into writing and having a group to talk about it with might be the push that I need!
I cater for all levels. Within the group there's everything from published authors to complete beginners. We help each other and its a fantastic group. If you want to dm me I can give you exact location
i'm in louth and would absolutely love this. Could you dm me the name please?
Sounds class tbh. Good for you
What is a writing group?
It's a creative writing group. We meet weekly to help, critique and share our work. It can be a very solitary practice and can be extremely helpful to have some friends who can help. Some of us are already published, some are beginner, its a great mix.
There's a regular board games thing in Swords at Peacock's Bar and Lounge on Wednesday evenings (but not tonight). If that's a bit far away, there are similar things on Meetup in the city centre.
I’ve been looking for something like this! What kind of board games do they play and what’s the age profile of the group do you know?
All adults (it's in a pub at night) ranging from 20s to 60s. We play lots of different things. We've got more than 120 games between us so far. We usually play a social deduction game at some point depending on when folks arrive, but we also split into smaller groups to play longer, more complex games too.
Sounds brilliant
Very cool. Thanks for posting this
Does this still happen?
Use the app ‘Meetup’ - shows loads of local hobby groups. There are a few chess and writing ones on there, many of them located in city centre area.
If you are interested in book clubs, there is one through Meetup, group called Dubliners, meeting every Saturday 5pm at Grafton hotel bar. I have met there writers couple of times.
Bismarck has chess night every Thursday. Free :)
Amazing. Thank you!!! I suck at it so I’m sure they’ll be patient.
I was in Bismarck yesterday and there was a writing group there too
Check out Frustrated Writers Group and Tangent Dublin! (You can find more info about both of them on social media.) FWG doesn’t charge as far as I remember, Tangent do a tenner on the door kind of deal. I’d also say get in touch with your local library branch (and join the library if you haven’t already) - a lot of libraries will have writing groups as well as book clubs and other great free groups who meet up regularly.
Open mics, especially literary-focused ones, are another good shout, there’s a few on around Dublin City.
And then another suggestion that’s a bit different - community drama groups have been a great way to make friends for me, you don’t have to be interested in acting at all, they’re always looking for people to help out in different ways, be it backstage, front of house, design, tech operating, etc.
If you play/ are interested in learning; tennis is brilliant! From another left behind 40 YO!
Lots of different groups on meetup.com
Great shout! I’ll give that a look.
I’ve found MeetUp really helpful since moving to Dublin, loads of different stuff to try on there
Actually, that's a great recommendation. Huge variety of interesting groups meeting up from wine appreciation to hillwalking, chess, poker knitting, and everything in-between. Lots of people use it to find community when moving to a new area. Lots of diversity. Great shout 👏
There's chess in Sine E every second Sunday.
Dunno if it’s your thing but there’s a pretty sociable comedy scene in dublin with people of all age ranges, it might scratch the writing itch and help you meet more people
Hey, I picked up on the friends have outgrown me comment.
No they haven’t, just entered a different life stage.
It’s fair to say you’ve got more hobbies and interests than them, while they have obligations and responsibilities.
You’re in transition but you’ll get there. Grass isn’t always greener. Signed: father of two young children.
Hey, thanks for your perspective. I was really only using that terminology to get my meaning across and believe me when I say that it isn’t that I envy them. I know they have responsibilities to deal with. It’s just getting used on my side to being in a completely different state of availability as they are. When your friends aren’t available and you don’t have a partner, kids or even your own home to throw your energy into it becomes isolating at times.
I hear you as a married working father it feels like I spend more time with my work colleagues than I do with my family, Never mind my mates. It's a hard balance. I'm now in my early fifties with teen children and am now finally able to spend more time with old friends. We went to Morocco last year and are going to London for a gig in October. So I suppose my point is, keep busy find community but your friends still want to hang but can't really. It does get easier though. Hang in there. We decided to plan trips when we got sick of only seeing each other at funerals. Best of luck to you dude.
Thank you, friend. Enjoy the gig in London.
There was an artists way course about creativity going on in rathmines,i think others coming up soon. Be a good shout to meet interesting people I'd say.
Thank you to everyone for the suggestions. I have plenty to work with and I may update in future! Have a great week lads and ladies!
Check the library. My local library has a writing group. And if they dont have one, you could probably set one up.
Go do a course on creative writing. Some cost as little as €50 registration fee. You meet people with similar interests.
All the colleges are back since this week, but you still.might be able to get a spot in a class if you are quick.
Otherwise, check out local Men's Sheds.
Do you know where, off the top of your head?
https://irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/
https://www.qualifax.ie/ gives a full list of every FET course in the country. Find the one you want and then Google the course code to find places offering it.
Ireland is a fantastic country for free or low cost training.
You can also ask a case worker in any Intreo center.
Wow, I was thinking of posting something like this lately. Im of a similar age & really interested in joining clubs that have a social element. I did a few creative writing classes last year but I never even knew writing clubs existed! My social life has died a death & everything feels so stagnant now that Im into my 40s & others have settled into domestic life. I feel if I dont take action soon I will miss the boat of life lol. Id also love to join a pool or snooker club if anyone has any info. The womens snooker association or something like that had no helpful info on their website.
there is a board game cafe in Dun Laoghaire (Board and Brewed) - they have an open board game night on Tuesday with 25+ people in regular attendence. I think its €5 for the evening and the have a huge library of 500+ games.
[deleted]
Oh shit, what happened there?
Yeah. Spill the tea.
Don't leave me hangin? Spill the tea! 🫠
Go on then
A wise person once said "Friends come & go".
Loads of free chess noghts. Board does one. Another in ranelagh
There are probably more available online
Check out the Irish Chess Union website (icu.ie) they have a calendar with upcoming tournaments and these are a really great way to socialise while competing. Just be prepared to get beaten by 7 year olds.
Boardgames Ireland on meetup.com. They meet up in the city centre and I made loads of friends from there.
The Villager pub in chapelizod has a chess club every Wednesday I think at 7ish. Don't think it's pay to play either, just show up.
Try meetup.com app, its not a dating app, loads of different events and activities and group arrange things on it, and most are free. Will find gaming, walking, photography etc on it
You could join a historical reeneactment group, there quite chill and you can learn some new skills and meet a lot of diverse people
This is part of the housing crisis rent mortgages are so expensive that young people have limited money to meet up or go out plus when people have children The y go out less Single people get left behind
The housing crisis effects everything maybe use an app to make new friends
Hey enemabagjones85! Welcome to r/AskIreland! Here are some other useful subreddits that might interest you:
r/IrishTourism - If you're coming to Ireland for a holiday this is the best place for advice.
r/MoveToIreland - Are you planning to immigrate to Ireland? r/MoveToIreland can help you with advice and tips. Tip #1: It's a pretty bad time to move to Ireland because we have a severe accommodation crisis.
r/StudyInIreland - Are you an International student planning on studying in Ireland? Please check out this sub for advice.
Just looking for a chat? Check out r/CasualIreland
r/IrishPersonalFinance - a great source of advice, whether you're trying to pick the best bank or trying to buy a house.
r/LegalAdviceIreland - This is your best bet if you're looking for legal advice relevant to Ireland
r/socialireland - If you're looking for social events in Ireland then maybe check this new sub out
r/IrishWomenshealth - This is the best place to go if you're looking for medical advice for Women
r/WomenofIreland - A space for the Women of Ireland to chat about anything
r/Pregnancyireland - If you are looking for advice and a place to talk about pregnancy in Ireland
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.