The Bottom Drawer for Thursday, 6 November 7-9pm

Welcome to another session of our weekly Write-On presentations. Since we skipped last week’s meeting to celebrate Halloween, October’s Mug of the Month contest is taking place tonight. Eight sportive souls grappled with the key words WALK and EXERCISE and produced a fine trail of texts. There’s bound to be nail-nibbling indecision when it comes to our electronic voting for the new Mug of the Month, proud holder of the famous Mug and even prouder Bearer of the title that goes with it. – And this will only be the prologue to a rich selection of texts from many genres, taken from our Bottom Drawer of submitted pieces as listed below. An enjoyable evening to all our contributors and viewers!

Bob-ná-Bia by Mary Hodson A vivid remembrance of Halloween in rural Ireland — when turf fires glowed, neighbours gathered, and folklore met faith at the kitchen hearth. Blending humour, warmth, and quiet reflection, this story captures the deeper spirit of the season: belonging, remembrance, and the mysteries that flicker just beyond the firelight.

At the Bend in the Road by Mary Hodson Marking a milestone birthday, a woman reflects on the bends and turns that have shaped her life — love, loss, laughter, and the quiet lessons of time. With gentle wisdom and lyrical grace, she discovers that growing older is not an ending but another curve in the long, beautiful road.

The First Music by Mary Hawkshaw In this gentle, reflective short film, memory and melody intertwine. The First Music evokes the wonder of early sound — a child’s discovery of rhythm, a mother’s lullaby, the heartbeat of belonging. Through quiet imagery and voice, it reminds us that music is not only something we hear, but something we are born knowing.  

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.  

Halloween by Thomas MacMahon A short poem that captures the eerie charm and earthy humour of an Irish Halloween. Through flickering firelight, remembered voices, and autumn’s wind, Halloween evokes the warmth of tradition and the thin line between the living and the lost.

Clodagh’s Wedding by Tom Curtin Clodagh O’Sullivan has always seemed untouchable – perfectly composed, mysteriously single, and faintly amused by other people’s entanglements. So when an ivory-edged invitation arrives announcing her marriage to a man no one has ever heard of, her friends react with disbelief, envy, and a dash of alarm. The story unfolds through the wry eyes of one of those friends, whose trip home for the wedding becomes a comedy of errors: an ill-timed lunch, a chaotic journey through rain-soaked backroads, and a reception that veers from farce to quiet revelation. Funny, humane, and finely observed, Clodagh’s Wedding explores friendship, self-deception, and the strange ways love and pride collide. Beneath the laughter, it leaves a small ache – a reminder that even the most curated lives hide their share of longing.

The Hollow by James Conway Sara’s search for an island grave draws her into dangerous waters — and into the company of Rolf, a solitary boatman with secrets of his own. Their voyage across a treacherous bay becomes both a physical crossing and a haunting encounter with loss, belief, and the pull of the unseen. Atmospheric and quietly spellbinding, The Hollow lingers like sea-mist over the western shore.  

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.

Fidelis by Tom Doyle On a rain-soaked Christmas Eve, an anxious young man searches Dublin for the perfect gift — something that will say both love and I tried. What he finds instead is a shaggy toy dog named Fidelis, a bus full of onlookers, and a series of small humiliations that lead to an unexpected grace. Warm, funny, and gently nostalgic, Fidelis captures the tender awkwardness of first love and the quiet triumph of sincerity over style.

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 7 – The Boy in the Bed by Frank Fahy In this quietly harrowing chapter, two visiting doctors arrive to set up the traction rig that will hold young Christopher O’Shea in place for months to come. Through the rain-washed calm of the house, each movement — the tightening of straps, the click of metal joints, the father’s hovering pride — becomes a study in tension and control. The Doctors captures the moment when care turns mechanical, love becomes procedure, and a family begins its long vigil at the bedside.  

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.                                              

Genre	Title	Author
Short Story	Bob-ná-Bia	Mary Hodson
Short Story	At the Bend in the Road	Mary Hodson
Short Story	Fidelis	Tom Doyle
Short Story	The Hollow	James Conway
Short Story	Clodagh’s Wedding	Tom Curtin
Poem	Losing My Glasses	Kathleen Phelan
Poem	The Writing Workshop	Kathleen Phelan
Poem	My Teddy Bear	Kathleen Phelan
Poem	Halloween	Thomas MacMahon
Song	The First Music	Mary Hawkshaw
Novel Extract	Chapter 7 – The Boy in the Bed	Frank Fahy
Novel Extract	Chapter 2 – Foundling Girls in the Chapel	Mary Rose Tobin
Non-Fiction	There Comes a Time	Tom Doyle
Reflection	Did We Survive? – A letter to the Future	Mary Hawkshaw
Website	The Story of Write-on (Living History & Reflections from our Members)	All Members