How to make friends in London

LadyMayBelle

Just new to London with my boyf, and so used to relying on a forum like boards.ie in Ireland for finding out about stuff, and arranging meet ups etc. But over here we are just finding it a bit harder

Anyone know of any forums or whatever that might be similar. We are pretty sound (I think!) and just would enjoy meeting some nice people for a drink or picnic in the park, whatever..

Fysh

It can be a bit daunting alright, but there are plenty of groups around. There was (and technically still is) a London forum on the Boards UK site, but that's due to be merged into the main boards.ie site sometime in July so it's a bit dead now. Once the switchover has happened we'll get back to organising Beers and the like, as we've had a few and they've been fun.

You can check out GumTree as well, there are some events co-ordinated through there. There are also loads of social groups that you can find online. Some of them have charging schemes for access while others are free.

It's also worth checking out things like the TimeOut London site to find out about what's on.

LadyMayBelle

Thanks Fysh, yeah the London boards thingey seems to have ben down the past month or so? Plus i missed the last beers as had only arrived. Yup, I stay tuned into Time Out and Spoon Fed etc.

r3nu4l

Hi LadyMayBelle, yup the move to any foreign country can be daunting. Fysh is definitely the man to organise more beers, so keep an eye out for more beers. The UK Boards had a small but great community and there's plenty of boardsies living in London so they can get you started.

The other most obvious thing is to either take up a new hobby or join clubs relating to existing hobbies.

watna

Perhaps you guys could organise a London beers in this forum until boards.co.uk is sorted? I'm sure there's enough people around.

We managed to have a Wellington beers last year which was kind of cool

getz

get the irish post a irish newspaper published in the UK[london],they have contact clubs set up for the irish ,meets/help/jobs, ect

r3nu4l

getz's suggestion is good but if you are like me you won't want to just be meeting Irish people* so in that instance local clubs and associations are still a great idea.




*Although having Irish friends is good because they won't slag you when you talk about the 'hot press' and they will also get your jokes about 'Bosco'

watna

r3nu4l wrote: »

getz's suggestion is good but if you are like me you won't want to just be meeting Irish people* so in that instance local clubs and associations are still a great idea.




*Although having Irish friends is good because they won't slag you when you talk about the 'hot press' and they will also get your jokes about 'Bosco'

A girl at work called her new puppy Bosco.

Nobody else got why I thought that was hilarious. It made me feel very sad!

getz

now if you lived in the north of england[like manchester] they are so friendly,then you would have had no need to post,

LadyMayBelle

Thanks everyone. Yeah I know some people love meeting up with irish folk once they move abroad, and it's not that I want to avoid doing that but I'm more open to meeting people from everywhere else. Please don't take that up the wrong way anyone, but it's why I wouldn't necessarily be checking out the Irish post.. just when you're in London, a place that homes probably someone from every nation...

Thanks anyways everyone. Hoping there'll be a beers at some stage!

Fysh

r3nu4l wrote: »

*Although having Irish friends is good because they won't slag you when you talk about the 'hot press' and they will also get your jokes about 'Bosco'

Not only that, but some of them will point you in the direction of Youtube videos like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xlo_IU2gcI

getz wrote: »

now if you lived in the north of england[like manchester] they are so friendly,then you would have had no need to post,

Hmmm, I'm not sure I believe that. I know that London and the South East has a reputation for being "less friendly" than the rest of England, but I think most of it is down to London being a big city and it being harder to meet people and make new friends in bigger cities.

getz

london is a city to get lost in,try saying hi to a stranger,they will look at you as if you have gone mad,but north of watford they will be the first to stop and greet you, it has always been excepted that the further north you go ,the more friendly the people,i am not knocking londoners ,but in london you have to try harder ,

LadyMayBelle

getz wrote: »

london is a city to get lost in,try saying hi to a stranger,they will look at you as if you have gone mad,but north of watford they will be the first to stop and greet you, it has always been excepted that the further north you go ,the more friendly the people,i am not knocking londoners ,but in london you have to try harder ,

I haven't lived anywhere else in the UK bar here and so far I do think it's hard to make friends

getz

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

I haven't lived anywhere else in the UK bar here and so far I do think it's hard to make friends

i lived in london for a number of years and i never had a problem in making friends,but that was more down to my northern upbringing,like the irish we very easily make friends,must be our irish ancestry

LadyMayBelle

Well it is only early days yet anyway but was just curious if there was a similar forum as boards really. Thanks for yer help everyone

LadyMayBelle

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

I haven't lived anywhere else in the UK bar here and so far I do think it's hard to make friends

It is quite hard. I usually make friends really easily and am used to living abroad but here I find it tough. I came to do a postgrad and expected to make loads of friends in college but I found it hard to click with people. Have quite a lot of acquaintances but no real close friends that I can text and say 'wanna go for a beer right now?' or 'come over to mine to watch a movie' or whatever. I really miss having that. I've been here 9 months now and have fewer good friends than I did after 3-6 months elsewhere. It seems to take a lot of effort here.

getz

i think also in recent years london has got more expensive and people have less money to spend,just a couple of years ago i was in london at a company meeting,it was a saturday and that evening i went out for a drink,as the pub was empty,on talking to the barman i found out that people just no longer have that extra cash .its a lot different from my early days in west 10,in the north specifically living is still cheap in lancashire,the locals are more like the irish,very friendly and the pubs and bars are full, i would welcome the irish lads opinions who live there.

Fysh

I don't think you can usefully generalise like that - I tend to avoid going out anywhere in central London of a weekend because every time I've done so it's been packed, to the point of being uncomfortable and a pain in the arse. I've seen pubs in Leicester Square try and charge £10 on the door because the crowds are so big there's a good chance at least a few will pay it just to get in somewhere without having to wait.

I've found Kilburn & West Hampstead to be the same - I've seen one or two pubs that struggle, but overall there's no shortage of people who want to go out with their friends and have a good time.

If a pub's dead on a Friday or Saturday night somewhere in London, I suspect it's either the pub itself or the area as a whole that's an issue.

getz

i am only pointing out that it is harder to find and make friends in london [as pointed out by two of our board members] than it used to be, because the younger generation cannot afford the prices, the pubs in london are asking £3 a pint for beer,tonight i will walk around fleetwood with my dog [when waiting for my wife to finish work] i will walk into my high street pub and pay £1.80 for a pint of guinness,

rozmagoz

Hi OP,

I moved to London myself nine months ago. Because of the nature of things at home, I already had a fairly solid base of Irish friends here but found it difficult to make friends with people outside of those circles and outside of work. I saw an online ad seeking volunteers for a festival and just went for it. Best thing I've ever done. Met loads of people-not just from London or England either-and have made some great friends. Stray outside your comfort zone and you'll be surprised at how easy it can be to make great friends in London.

And I take issue with the idea that most people seem to have of Londoners-that they are rude, self-serving and stand-offish. They are lovely, polite, friendly people. Unless they're on the Tube, in which case, not even an Irish person is lovely, polite or friendly. Unless it's between rush hours.

getz

rozmagoz wrote: »

Hi OP,

I moved to London myself nine months ago. Because of the nature of things at home, I already had a fairly solid base of Irish friends here but found it difficult to make friends with people outside of those circles and outside of work. I saw an online ad seeking volunteers for a festival and just went for it. Best thing I've ever done. Met loads of people-not just from London or England either-and have made some great friends. Stray outside your comfort zone and you'll be surprised at how easy it can be to make great friends in London.

And I take issue with the idea that most people seem to have of Londoners-that they are rude, self-serving and stand-offish. They are lovely, polite, friendly people. Unless they're on the Tube, in which case, not even an Irish person is lovely, polite or friendly. Unless it's between rush hours.

you my also have hit on one of the london problems,everyone seems to be in a hurry,when i lived in london i was a barman in the KPH. ladbroke grove [next the porobello road,] i easly made lots of friends because they came to me, not me to them,maybe thats the answer,get a part time job in a pub,everyone loves the barman/lady,thats where i met my wife

Jessicaa

[quote=[Deleted User];66690016]It is quite hard. I usually make friends really easily and am used to living abroad but here I find it tough. I came to do a postgrad and expected to make loads of friends in college but I found it hard to click with people. Have quite a lot of acquaintances but no real close friends that I can text and say 'wanna go for a beer right now?' or 'come over to mine to watch a movie' or whatever. I really miss having that. I've been here 9 months now and have fewer good friends than I did after 3-6 months elsewhere. It seems to take a lot of effort here.[/QUOTE]

I've had the same experience...I came over for a postgrad too, last September, and expected it to be similar to college in that you'd make friends with your class and hang out during the days or go drinking at night, but it hasn't really turned out that way. I think it's because everyone takes their masters more seriously than their undergrad, or that a lot of my class are older than me. I am friendly with most of them, but it's not the same as having someone to ring up whenever you want to hang out or go for a drink or whatever - I miss that too!

D-Generate

Jessicaa wrote: »

I've had the same experience...I came over for a postgrad too, last September, and expected it to be similar to college in that you'd make friends with your class and hang out during the days or go drinking at night, but it hasn't really turned out that way. I think it's because everyone takes their masters more seriously than their undergrad, or that a lot of my class are older than me. I am friendly with most of them, but it's not the same as having someone to ring up whenever you want to hang out or go for a drink or whatever - I miss that too!

Looks like a lot of us are doing a masters in London. I might aswell be studying in the priesthood judging by how little my class is interested in having drinks or fun.

LadyMayBelle

Thanks everyone.
I volunteer alright in a charity shop, unfortunately most of the other volunteers are quite older than me, and the one or two that are younger seem to be long term volunteers and have friends and arent bothered about finding more:-( Still trying though!
I avoid central london as well as some other posters, with kilburn being for nights out and west hampstead for a wines or sunday lunch. Really like the summery feel there a lot. Been here 6weeks now and as well as volunteering I went to a community get together but again i was the youngest by about thirty years. Early days yet though I guess. Miss having mates to call over to and watch telly or just the ease of having the car back home for spins!

afatbollix

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055956199

Have a look in the above thread.. Why not come along.. I dont think any of us will bite.. Hopefully we get a few friendships out of it.

Just wondering how you're getting on LadyMayBelle, and everyone else as well? I've been here nearly a year now and still have fewer friends than I have had anywhere else. I think a lot of that is down to the Masters - my classmates aren't very sociable and the workload hasn't left me much time to look into other options for socialising. I remember when I first arrived, I went to Covent Garden and Camden and thought 'wow I'm gonna be going out here all the time' and it just never happened! I still find Londoners very hard to get to know. I had classes, lunch and coffee every single day with several people and only met up with them outside college once or twice. I'm hoping things change when I finish the Masters (in under a week!) and start doing other stuff.

LadyMayBelle

HI Harley Prehistoric Rink, I PMed you, but for the thread purposes, I still find it tricky. I work alone, which doesn't help so might spend the whole day not talking to anyone bar the chap in the shop where I grab a cuppa..totally not like me!

Anyone else have more success?

bluedolphin

Just saw this thread now... Now, in fairness, I've myself to blame in not showing up to London beers, but I always inconveniently had something else on. I've been doing a MA here since last September and will be staying looking for a job once I hand in my dissertation (on Monday, eek!). I don't know whether it's down to being more 'mature' in a postgrad or what, but while I've made plenty of friends, I'd be in the same boat in saying there's only maybe one or two I'd really text at a moment's notice to do something, which is completely the opposite from at home. I think a lot of my master's friends had their own group previously and didn't 'need' any more good friends. In saying that, I became quite close with my flatmate as she moved here as well from another country, but she's leaving next week after handing in her thesis.

LadyMayBelle

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

HI Harley Prehistoric Rink, I PMed you, but for the thread purposes, I still find it tricky. I work alone, which doesn't help so might spend the whole day not talking to anyone bar the chap in the shop where I grab a cuppa..totally not like me!

Anyone else have more success?

Will get back to you once the dreaded thesis is in! Sorry to hear you haven't had much luck. Working alone can be really difficult, you start to go a bit bananas having absolutely no-one to talk to!

bluedolphin wrote: »

Just saw this thread now... Now, in fairness, I've myself to blame in not showing up to London beers, but I always inconveniently had something else on. I've been doing a MA here since last September and will be staying looking for a job once I hand in my dissertation (on Monday, eek!). I don't know whether it's down to being more 'mature' in a postgrad or what, but while I've made plenty of friends, I'd be in the same boat in saying there's only maybe one or two I'd really text at a moment's notice to do something, which is completely the opposite from at home. I think a lot of my master's friends had their own group previously and didn't 'need' any more good friends. In saying that, I became quite close with my flatmate as she moved here as well from another country, but she's leaving next week after handing in her thesis.

I think being an MA student is a bit awkward. I'm not that old (24 when I started) but I felt that all the events and social stuff was geared towards undergrads. I went to loads of Freshers events and just kept meeting people 6 years younger than me. You really, really feel the age difference. A lot of the undergrads here are quite self important as well, asking why I'm still in college at this age and things like that, basically acting like total know-it-alls. There were postgrad events but they seemed to be the opposite - geared for people in their thirties with children. I think it's quite an awkward age to be in college, especially if you've been working for a few years. The workload is pretty intense as well - when you do get invited to things or something's on, you often can't go because something's due in the next day. I'm really hoping work will be different. My bf has made quite a few friends through work, so there is hope!

rtunes

I lived in London for years. The English are slow to make friendships with people as they think you are transient and not likely to be around for a long time. It's just the nature of London. However, once you get to know them they can be very loyal, good friends. Not just the pals who meet in the pub types which we would be good at! My advice would be to get involved in group things like evening classes or get down to the local tennis courts and do group lessons etc if you want to mix up your circle. It will take time but there are loads of people in the same boat as you so no worries.

bluedolphin

Harley Prehistoric Rink wrote: »

I think being an MA student is a bit awkward. I'm not that old (24 when I started) but I felt that all the events and social stuff was geared towards undergrads. I went to loads of Freshers events and just kept meeting people 6 years younger than me. You really, really feel the age difference. A lot of the undergrads here are quite self important as well, asking why I'm still in college at this age and things like that, basically acting like total know-it-alls. There were postgrad events but they seemed to be the opposite - geared for people in their thirties with children. I think it's quite an awkward age to be in college, especially if you've been working for a few years. The workload is pretty intense as well - when you do get invited to things or something's on, you often can't go because something's due in the next day. I'm really hoping work will be different. My bf has made quite a few friends through work, so there is hope!

Totally agree. I went along to lots of the Freshers events where everyone was at a very different stage. I can understand, I mean when I started my UG I was like that too. I found the workload pretty heavy going as well, and I was quite sick for most of the second term earlier this year, so I just didn't have time to make additional effort than I already was. I'm doing an internship at the moment and there are plenty of other interns who are predominantly final year UG or PG students, but I just can't seem to connect with them! I'm beginning to wonder if it's me...but they're all just so serious! It's not that they're not nice people - they are kind and lovely - but they're very closed off and serious where as I'd be quite ...the opposite! I take my work seriously, of course, but I enjoy letting my hair down and having a good laugh. Our senses of humour are just polar opposite I think. I reckon they probably think I'm a bit eccentric because I'm always making jokes/sarcastic comments in the office and they often just don't know what to do. Maybe I'm not funny. :eek: I'm hoping that work will introduce me to some new people, too! I'm also looking to do a language evening class this coming year, and maybe a photography one if I can afford it. I want to do both of those things for myself anyway, so if I met people that'd be a bonus!

who the fug

bluedolphin wrote: »

Totally agree. I went along to lots of the Freshers events where everyone was at a very different stage. I can understand, I mean when I started my UG I was like that too. I found the workload pretty heavy going as well, and I was quite sick for most of the second term earlier this year, so I just didn't have time to make additional effort than I already was. I'm doing an internship at the moment and there are plenty of other interns who are predominantly final year UG or PG students, but I just can't seem to connect with them! I'm beginning to wonder if it's me...but they're all just so serious! It's not that they're not nice people - they are kind and lovely - but they're very closed off and serious where as I'd be quite ...the opposite! I take my work seriously, of course, but I enjoy letting my hair down and having a good laugh. Our senses of humour are just polar opposite I think. I reckon they probably think I'm a bit eccentric because I'm always making jokes/sarcastic comments in the office and they often just don't know what to do. Maybe I'm not funny. :eek: I'm hoping that work will introduce me to some new people, too! I'm also looking to do a language evening class this coming year, and maybe a photography one if I can afford it. I want to do both of those things for myself anyway, so if I met people that'd be a bonus!

There is a big humor gap between the Ireland and the UK, (we are much darker) you may have to learn to bite that tongue in the office.


But on the plus side I do find them more open than the Irish and less in your face

silvervixen84

Just saw this thread now. I moved to London two weeks ago with a friend of mine, we've nearly sorted our flat out thank goodness (we'll be up in NW London).

I'd be well up for meeting London boardsies at a beers in the near future, I've went to one back home and it was great putting faces to usernames, and I had a great night.

LadyMayBelle

silvervixen84 wrote: »

Just saw this thread now. I moved to London two weeks ago with a friend of mine, we've nearly sorted our flat out thank goodness (we'll be up in NW London).

I'd be well up for meeting London boardsies at a beers in the near future, I've went to one back home and it was great putting faces to usernames, and I had a great night.

Great stuff. I'm in NW London, until Christmas anyway, as I got a job across East so will probably move closer for a shorter commute. Hope to make this beers

bluedolphin

Just sorted out my new flat in SE London, so leaving my NW place during the week, but I hope that I might make it to the beers on Friday and maybe meet you folks!

Dr.Giggles

My work people told me to do online dating to get to know people, they are from the North of England and that's what they did when they moved. Don't do this. I have about 17 messages from men telling me how big their tools are. At first I thought I was on some sort of DIY fetish site.

LadyMayBelle

I'll thinking of heading to the Betsey Smith in Kilburn tomorrow afternoon for a cuppa if anyone fancies joining me..If not no worries, I'll be happy out with my book and laptop.

The Betsey Smith is a new bar which is just lovely, and I suggest it as a venue for a meet up at some stage. Their site is in process:

http://www.thebetsysmith.co.uk/press_release.htm

PM if interested

maggiep2010

Hi everyone..this is my first post on boards..how exciting!!!
I just moved over here last month, I'm another postgrad student:), and have to say i've found it pretty tough meeting people ( i know its early days yet!!)... I was getting worried until I saw this thread, it's reassuring to know it's not just me!! If I was working it would probably be different, but I'm finding there are so many people on my course, and the work load is so full on I'm not getting the time to connect to people the way I normally do... Have to say I'm loving being in London though..there is so much to see and do I'm keeping myself occupied!!
Anyhoo, good to hear that I'm not alone, and to finally be an official boardsie

Dr.Giggles

Welcome Maggiepie, i am new here myself You don't know it yet but you have joined a cult. We have a secret forum and everything.


Maybe I should be banned from welcoming people.

I just moved here too, about two months ago, its pretty daunting. What part of Ireland are you from?

maggiep2010

a cult???
secret forums???
I dunno if i'm ready for all that..mammy did warn me about the dangers of a big city all right;)
I'm from waterford (kilkenny originally, a technicality but very mportant come the hurling season!!), I'm over here doing the primary teaching pgce, living in docklands, its a bit like a sprawling industrial park with a college dropped into the middle of it!!..how about you dr. giggles?

Dr.Giggles

The docklands is that south east? i have no idea! I was hoping to do my masters over here but its so expensive! Instead I got offered a job and two days later I was living in London eep. Even though I have been here two months (feels a lot less) I am still all over the place, trying to get used to everything.
I live in the south west, which I quite like. what is college like here?

maggiep2010

docklands is east end, just north of the thames..i'm in the uni accomodation and its about 100m from the runway of london city airport, so i'm becoming a plane spotter, like it or not!
college is good, very full on though cos they gotta get you from 0-teacher in a year so lots of hours in and out of college..my brother lives down south west too, round streatham..i like it down there, although its a bit of a trek..you find it's been easy meet people through work?

ballsymchugh

ye should try the alex opposite clapham common on a saturday night. you'll find plenty of irish people in their in the same boat as ye, either over studying or working. somehow most of them seem to be college grads, nothing against the tradesmen that work there, but they tended not to go to the alex.

if you really want to go the whole hog, there's the swan in stockwell, which is probably like going out in small town cavan where there's only one place to go to for 20 miles. it's a last resort though!!

you could also join erm.. a gaa club? they're spread out across london. the one i joined was based in brixton, but there's plenty esp in north west. some of the soundest people i met in london were on the team i played with, and they had a grand circle of friends too. quite a few clubs have ladies teams. i wouldn't worry about skill either, i played my first ever game of hurling at 28.

D-Generate

Do not go to the swan! It is exactly as described, a nightclub from Carlow in London. it comes with all the trimmings that you would expect, cheesy music, sticky dancefloor and tonnes of Irish people wearing county jerseys. If you are particularly fond of he cheese, then you can also buy some ridiculous hats and stuff, the place is cheesier than a tour of Kilmeaden cheese factory.

The Alex is a good laugh if you are in to sport. Its good for watching any games of Irish interest although I am not sure if they have Leinster V Munster tomorrow night. Clapham is generally quite good with a wide variety of things to do, Alex if you are in an Irish mood, Infernos if you are in a boogeying mood and everywhere else if you are in a normal mood.

I suggest an SW12, SW4, SW17 meetup soon enough. We should at least meet up before venturing up to NW since so many are up there already. I will put this out there whilst I am still tipsy,
Friday 15th, Belleveu 7 p.m. Lets meet up there, grab one (no more!) and head up north to Kilburn.

ballsymchugh

D-Generate wrote: »

Do not go to the swan! It is exactly as described, a nightclub from Carlow in London. it comes with all the trimmings that you would expect, cheesy music, sticky dancefloor and tonnes of Irish people wearing county jerseys. If you are particularly fond of he cheese, then you can also buy some ridiculous hats and stuff, the place is cheesier than a tour of Kilmeaden cheese factory.

The Alex is a good laugh if you are in to sport. Its good for watching any games of Irish interest although I am not sure if they have Leinster V Munster tomorrow night. Clapham is generally quite good with a wide variety of things to do, Alex if you are in an Irish mood, Infernos if you are in a boogeying mood and everywhere else if you are in a normal mood.

I suggest an SW12, SW4, SW17 meetup soon enough. We should at least meet up before venturing up to NW since so many are up there already. I will put this out there whilst I am still tipsy,
Friday 15th, Belleveu 7 p.m. Lets meet up there, grab one (no more!) and head up north to Kilburn.

don't forget the chips and onion rings that you can get in the swan either!!
jaysis though, infernos? that's just an up to date version of the swan for the locals, and there's no chips there either!! the bedford in balham would be a better place to head out after the pub if you're interested.

one thing that you could do is pub quizzes. there's a fair amount of places that have them on a sunday or monday night as they'd normally be quiet then. there's always a few people that won't have enough for a team and you could join them. given the days they tend to be on, boozing isn't a big deal.

hmmm. just looking at my posts and they're all pub orientated. and i'm teetotal.

Fysh

maggiep2010 wrote: »

Hi everyone..this is my first post on boards..how exciting!!!
I just moved over here last month, I'm another postgrad student:), and have to say i've found it pretty tough meeting people ( i know its early days yet!!)... I was getting worried until I saw this thread, it's reassuring to know it's not just me!! If I was working it would probably be different, but I'm finding there are so many people on my course, and the work load is so full on I'm not getting the time to connect to people the way I normally do... Have to say I'm loving being in London though..there is so much to see and do I'm keeping myself occupied!!
Anyhoo, good to hear that I'm not alone, and to finally be an official boardsie

Hello, welcome to boards! Glad to hear you're enjoying London life so far

D-Generate wrote: »

Do not go to the swan! It is exactly as described, a nightclub from Carlow in London. it comes with all the trimmings that you would expect, cheesy music, sticky dancefloor and tonnes of Irish people wearing county jerseys. If you are particularly fond of he cheese, then you can also buy some ridiculous hats and stuff, the place is cheesier than a tour of Kilmeaden cheese factory.

There's an important question remaining: Do they play the national anthem at the end of the night? It's not a truly Irish nightclub if they don't.

D-Generate wrote: »

I suggest an SW12, SW4, SW17 meetup soon enough. We should at least meet up before venturing up to NW since so many are up there already. I will put this out there whilst I am still tipsy,
Friday 15th, Belleveu 7 p.m. Lets meet up there, grab one (no more!) and head up north to Kilburn.

That sounds like a good idea. I'll ping the details into the beers thread. Of course you realise you're now the point of contact for Southern folk...

Sinall

maggiep2010 wrote: »

a cult???
secret forums???
I dunno if i'm ready for all that..mammy did warn me about the dangers of a big city all right;)
I'm from waterford (kilkenny originally, a technicality but very mportant come the hurling season!!), I'm over here doing the primary teaching pgce, living in docklands, its a bit like a sprawling industrial park with a college dropped into the middle of it!!..how about you dr. giggles?

I'm from Waterford as well (county) and the only time we noticed that people were from Kilkenny was during the hurling season! I think there's a Waterford society/club floating around London somewhere, but I also suspect that it's main members are people who came over in the 60s/70s.

maggiep2010

Sinall wrote: »

I'm from Waterford as well (county) and the only time we noticed that people were from Kilkenny was during the hurling season! I think there's a Waterford society/club floating around London somewhere, but I also suspect that it's main members are people who came over in the 60s/70s.

well there's not much else to shout about being from kilkenny other than the hurling ...i do love the banter every year as i worked and lived in waterford for many years, although glad i had left before the final this year, or would have copped a bucket load of stick!!!

1fm

maggiep2010 wrote: »

well there's not much else to shout about being from kilkenny other than the hurling ...i do love the banter every year as i worked and lived in waterford for many years, although glad i had left before the final this year, or would have copped a bucket load of stick!!!

Good to hear I'm not the only Cat to move across this year!:D

Moving over for my first proper job,starting in a couple of weeks. Know the city very well but still its all a bit daunting when you stop and think about it all! It stills beats moving to Dublin in my opinion.:)



Anyway I'm based up in NW London myself for the next few months so hopefully get to say hello to a few of ye at the beers soon enough!! As long as the Met line is working I should be there. Don't think theres any nightbuses in my area so I just might have to bail early before the tube shuts.

Playboy

maggiep2010 wrote: »

docklands is east end, just north of the thames..i'm in the uni accomodation and its about 100m from the runway of london city airport, so i'm becoming a plane spotter, like it or not!
college is good, very full on though cos they gotta get you from 0-teacher in a year so lots of hours in and out of college..my brother lives down south west too, round streatham..i like it down there, although its a bit of a trek..you find it's been easy meet people through work?

I know the UEL campus! Its very isolated out there in East London with the ASDA in Beckton the nearest Shop! You can get a night bus from Trafalgar Square to the Roundabout at Gallions Reach beside the Uni accomadation. There is usually a good few irish in the Uni doing the teaching course so there should be plenty of people in the same boat as you.

Fysh

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

I'll thinking of heading to the Betsey Smith in Kilburn tomorrow afternoon for a cuppa if anyone fancies joining me..If not no worries, I'll be happy out with my book and laptop.

The Betsey Smith is a new bar which is just lovely, and I suggest it as a venue for a meet up at some stage. Their site is in process:

http://www.thebetsysmith.co.uk/press_release.htm

PM if interested

How was the Betsy Smith btw? It looks nice enough in passing, it might be a good place to head for the beers in a couple of weeks (There's another place near the Kilburn library that has a pool table and might do food, so I'm quite tempted. The only thing that could make it better would be a pinball machine.)