Speaking this month we have:

1. Paul Gillingham – Western Ireland: north to south by bike.

   Riding solo, this is a journey from northern Donegal to Cork and Cobh in the south, visiting along the way the islands of Aran and Achill, the bizarre limestone pavements of the Burren, the annual Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival and the sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick. In passing, Paul considers the Irish passion for Gaelic football, the horrors of the Great Famine, mass emigration, attitudes to the British and Oliver Cromwell’s attempts to crush the Catholics. His talk concludes with the final port of call of theTitanic and, inevitably, kissing the Blarney Stone.

   Now retired, Paul taught history in Canada, Tanzania, UK and Hong Kong, moving into journalism with BRMB radio in Birmingham. He went on to become a newscaster with TVB in Hong Kong and, returning to UK, a freelance presenter/reporter for BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and Classic FM, travelling widely in pursuit of stories. He considers his highlights to be: a spell in the Swedish Merchant Navy, a month in a Rwandan refugee camp, meeting Ginger Rogers and interviewing, among others, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Little Richard and the sons of Martin Luther King and Benito Mussolini.

   In retirement, Paul enjoys long-distance cycle-camping, preferably at a slow pace.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

2. Darren Axe – ‘Aotearoa: Journeys into the Long White Cloud’

   Darren is an International Mountain Leader with a passion for sustainability issues in the mountain environment. In 2007 he spent 6 months living in Wellington, capital city of New Zealand. During this period and a return visit almost 10 years later he explored the dynamic and varied landscapes of this primeval remnant of the paleo-supercontinent Gondwanaland. Aotearoa; Journeys into the Long White Cloud is an illustrated tour of this isolated archipelago with its unique biodiversity and strong cultural identity. The talk also delves into the environmental challenges facing modern-day New Zealand including reflections on the epic journeys involved in getting ‘there and back again’.

   Find out more at: Website, Facebook and Twitter.

   

   

   

London branch meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden the first Saturday of each month, unless there is a UK public holiday that weekend.

Admission costs, £3 for Members and £6.00 Non-members. You do not need to be a member to attend, and we do not sell advanced tickets, please just come on the day, the doors open at 2:15pm and the program starts around 2:30pm with each talk lasting between 45 – 60 minutes.

There is no London meeting in August, but we start afresh each September. If you would like to keep up to date with what’s happening at the Globetrotters London meetings and to be sent email reminders prior to the meeting, please sign up here