What a delight
to welcome the newly formed Irish Chapter to the series. Ruth Long was kind
enough to answer our questions.
How long has
your chapter been running?
Our first ever meeting was
on 9th April 2016. We met in the Mint Bar, downstairs in the Westin
Hotel on Westmoreland Street, Dublin.
How often do
you plan to meet?
We hope to meet quarterly.
This is going to be fairly flexible however as we have members from all over
the island and would like to accommodate as many as possible.
Where is your
regular meeting place?
For the same reason, we hope
to meet in different locations. Rather than make the same people travel the
longest distances all the time, we’d like to mix things up a bit. Also there is
the fun of visiting different places to see friends.
How many
members attend your meetings?
There were 9 of us at the first
meeting, but we now have 23 members on our Facebook group. It’s growing all the
time as RNA members and friends join. We’re all writers, all at different
stages and it’s a great way to offer support to each other. Hopefully there
will be more of us at the next meeting.
Do your
meetings include a meal?
Yes. We love food. It could
be finger food, afternoon tea or a sit down lunch, whatever the individual
organisers feel like organising. Variety is the spice of life.
Is your
chapter open to non-members of the RNA?
It is. We welcome everyone
writing romance or strong romantic elements. Basically lots and lots of
writers. I think the idea is to have a support network and people to rely on. We
have new writers and old hands sitting down together and exchanging ideas.
How long are
your meetings?
We are very laid back so
maybe a couple of hours of chat and food. Perhaps the odd drink. The main idea
is to provide a space for writers to interact and share, to support each other
and have a good time. It can be such a solitary life, so having a group is
invaluable.
Can you give
an outline of speakers/guests you’ve had in the past year?
None as yet, but once we hit
our stride I’m sure we’ll start to arrange more.
What do you
have planned for the rest of 2016?
We’re just about to start
planning our June meeting. It would have been July but the date clashes with
the RNA Conference so we moved it back a month. Then hopefully we’ll have
another in September. We also have members having book launches (Hazel Gaynor
in June, and myself in September, so naturally all members are invited to those
as well).
What would you
say makes your chapter of the RNA so special?
Very friendly and open,
still finding our way so we’re hoping for lots of involvement from members with
an aim to getting the type of group we want to be part of. There is of course
the Irish gift for get-togethers to take into account as well. We are known for
our welcomes, all one hundred thousand of them. We’re really looking forward to
moving about the island a bit for different meetings and seeing different
places as well. We could even work in some research trips along the way. I
think ever writer has an adventurer inside them.
Does your
chapter have a website, Facebook page or Twitter account?
We have a Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/169428223430539/
Who is the
contact for new members?
Ruth Frances Long, info@rflong.com, or the Facebook group.
Thank you,
Ruth. Your enthusiasm is inspiring. We wish this new group in our family of
chapters every success for the future.
This post was compiled by Natalie Kleinman
If you would like to write for the blog
please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com
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