From Mollie Hunt, Secretary of newly-formed U3A Tramore.
Location: Tramore is a seaside resort on Ireland's SE coast which is famous for its long, sandy strand after which it is named - "Tra" = strand, "mor"= big.
Originally a small fishing village it was developed during the 19th century to accommodate visitors. At one time it would be full to bursting during the summer months but in recent years tourism has declined. In good weather the beach is as beautiful as ever but the town remains pretty quiet. Many of the new residents are retired people who have come to Tramore to enjoy the fresh air and scenery.

Membership: U3A meets on the first Thursday of the month at Tramore Coastguard Station, starting at 11am. Our talks are open to all who wish to come but we are primarily for retired people. There is no membership fee as such; we charge 2 euros at the door to cover rent and coffee/tea. This is a very new group as we only started in December 2011 so things are still fairly fluid and we may change as we go on - we aim to be democratic and do as members wish.

Activities and Groups: There have been guest speakers every month except for an art workshop and for July and August when there were outings instead. This year we plan to have speakers throughout the year. Talks have ranged from local history, art appreciation, rural economy, wine ......anything to keep our minds active!
So far there are 3 special interest groups which meet monthly: books, poetry and astronomy. Last year visits were organised to Ormonde Castle, Fenor Bog and the Copper Coast, Dublin Zoo and Waterford's new Medieval Museum.

Personal comment: Delighted with how it's gone so far but obviously there's still a lot more we could be doing ! We meet on the first floor of what used to be the local Coastguards' Station so have stunning views across Tramore Bay - many members say they enjoy coming just for that and obviously appreciate the company as well; I've noticed friendships being established over the past year. As most of our members are not from local families, or have retired here after many years away, they are pleased to be able to meet with people in similar situations and similar interests, and I'm sure any visitor from a U3A group would find a warm welcome from our members.