The Bottom Drawer for Thursday, 23 October 2025, 7-9pm

Our Bottom Drawer has been filled up with a whole new collection of stories, novel extracts, poems, memoirs, songs, plays, reflections – a wonderful testimony to the diversity of styles, interests and creativity of our group. Don’t miss what promises to be another stimulating and satisfying evening’s entertainment!

A reminder: the coming Sunday is the deadline for submissions to the Mug of the Month competition. The key words which must be included in the 50-word (max.) text are EXERCISE and WALK. Send to annemurraypost@yahoo.ie .

The Arrest – A Student Nurse’s Lesson by Mary Hodson In this powerful memoir piece, a first-year nursing student in a London hospital faces a moment of crisis when a patient suddenly deteriorates under her care. What follows is a deeply human account of fear, instinct, and the unexpected kindness of those around her. With vivid details of the 1970s hospital hierarchy and the emotional terrain of early training, this story offers readers a window into the making of a nurse — not in the classroom, but in a single unforgettable moment that tests her courage and shapes her calling.     A Short Experimental Play by James Conway   In this surreal, darkly comic café scene, three voices — or perhaps just one fractured voice — bicker, reminisce, and unravel over stale cakes, imagined waitresses, and the memory of a long-departed minder. What begins as a tribute spirals into something stranger: a theatre of memory, madness, and self-interrogation. With wit, bite, and flashes of real tenderness, Conway’s play challenges identity and the unreliability of truth — all over a pot of coffee and a cake fished from the bin.     After Dada’s Letter by Helena Clare   When Delia receives a letter from home, her fragile sense of safety is shaken. In the quiet Scottish countryside where she and her children have taken refuge, something ancient and unsettling still stalks them — a force tied to a family curse, a ghostly old woman, and a child who walks with unseen companions. This haunting story delicately blends folklore, maternal love, and the strange gifts children sometimes carry. Rooted in the rhythms of rural life, it explores how fear can pass from one generation to the next — and how courage can too.   Losing My Glasses by Kathleen Phelan   In this quietly radiant poem, a lost pair of glasses becomes a portal to a softer, more painterly world. Through drifting fog, blurred edges, and the memory of Monet and Turner, the speaker discovers not confusion but a fleeting kind of clarity — a gentle unravelling of precision in favour of presence. A meditation on vision, ageing, and grace, this piece reminds us that sometimes, the blur shows us what sharpness cannot.   My Teddy Bear by Kathleen Phelan A gentle rhyme about childhood comfort and the quiet loyalty of a beloved toy. Told with tenderness and simplicity, this poem evokes the timeless bond between a child and their teddy bear — a companion who guards, listens, and stays, even when the years move on. A warm and nostalgic piece sure to stir hearts of all ages.   The Writing Workshop by Kathleen Phelan   In this playful and affectionate send-up of creative writing groups, Kathleen Phelan captures the chaos, charm, and biscuit-fuelled brilliance of writers trying (and failing) to be profound. With dream clouds, lost pens, poetic sheep, and a tutor on the brink, this witty piece will resonate with anyone who’s ever stared down a blank page — and found laughter waiting instead of genius.   Creation by Póilín Brennan [No synopses required at the request of the author.]     Foundling Girls – Chapter 2 by Mary Rose Tobin In this rich and textured chapter, daily life at the Foundling Hospital unfolds through classrooms, sewing benches, and the echoing tones of hymn practice. Lucy, Polly, Hetty and Clara each work to shape their futures — and preserve traces of their pasts. From needlework to music drills, the girls are schooled in obedience and precision, yet each one holds a secret token of identity hidden close. Through whispered confidences and fleeting moments of grace, Lucy begins to imagine transformation — the dream of becoming something new, not just mended. This chapter weaves discipline, friendship, and longing into a vivid portrait of girlhood under watchful eyes.   Chapter 2 – The Boy in the Bed by Frank Fahy   The long-anticipated return from hospital is anything but triumphant. In this taut and quietly powerful chapter, Christopher O’Shea is delivered home not by ambulance but by van, strapped to a stretcher and carried awkwardly through the narrow staircase by strangers and family alike. Told through the silent weight of glances, effort, and unspoken fear, this episode captures the emotional dislocation of homecoming — a boy altered, a house changed, a family straining under the new reality. With spare prose and unflinching detail, this chapter deepens the novel’s exploration of physical vulnerability and emotional silence.     There Comes a Time by Tom Doyle This thoughtful reflection explores life’s turning points — those moments of transition that invite (or force) us to change course. With graceful insight and gentle wisdom, Doyle examines how personal crises, epiphanies, synchronicities, or tipping points can become opportunities for growth rather than defeat. Drawing inspiration from thinkers like David Brooks and Louis L’Amour, he reminds us that even in adversity, we can “suffer our way to wisdom.” A resonant and uplifting meditation for anyone standing at life’s crossroads. Slopum Cum Dasum by Tom Doyle A wry and warmly nostalgic memoir, Slopum Cum Dasum captures the clash between generational values through the lens of one painted door. Doyle recalls his father’s almost holy devotion to craftsmanship — a perfectionist whose painstaking three-month mission to paint the front door became the stuff of legend on their Phibsboro street. But when the narrator, now a bell-bottomed teenager, attempts to repaint that same door in a bold shade of green, the result is swift maternal outrage and the unravelling of what once gleamed with pride. Told with wit, affection, and a painter’s eye for detail, this essay is a tribute to both the art of doing things well — and the inevitability of messing them up.   Lost Souls – A Song by Mary Hawkshaw This darkly comic gospel ballad follows three souls who arrive at Heaven’s gate, each expecting a reward for their past deeds — one for faith, one for service, one for wealth. But the reception they get is far from what they imagined. With sharp rhymes and a twist of satire, Lost Souls explores what really counts when the final reckoning comes. Not everyone makes the cut — not even for Hell. Did We Survive? – A Letter to the Future by Mary Hawkshaw In this moving personal meditation, Mary Hawkshaw writes across time to an imagined future reader, asking whether humanity has survived its own contradictions. Blending memory, media, and moral questioning, the piece reflects on invention and indifference, beauty and brutality, the thrill of creativity and the burden of witnessing. It is both a letter and a lament — and a powerful call to remember what we were, and what we might still become. The Write-on Story by Write-on Members This living project is part history, part invitation. The Story of Write-on charts the journey of the group from its earliest days in Galway’s Westside to its vibrant, international membership today — a community united by creativity, encouragement, and shared achievement. But this isn’t just Frank Fahy’s account. It’s a collaborative, evolving ‘book’ — a living archive where every member is invited to add their voice. Whether you joined in person or online, last week or years ago, your story matters. This project gathers those experiences: first impressions, favourite moments, what Write-on has meant to you. The result will be a mosaic of memory and insight — and a welcoming window into Write-on for new and potential members. Published prominently on our website, The Story of Write-on is both a record and a beacon. All are invited to contribute.