Issue #012 | What’s the Craic, Bray? | Wednesday 4 November 2026

🌦️ Bray’s Weather Today

📰 The Local Lowdown

🛍️ Shop Local

🍽️ Food & Drink Around Bray

📅 What’s On Around Bray

✨ Bray Then & Now + The Little Bray Quiz

📌 One More Thing

😂 Meme of the Day

Mostly cloudy, with a few light showers possible around midday and later. Temperatures around 10–12°C. A light rain layer is a good shout if you’re out and about anywhere in Bray. Check the most recent forecast before heading out. Check Met Éireann’s latest Wicklow forecast →

Sinéad O’Connor lived at Montebello on Strand Road from 2007 until 2021. The world knew the extraordinary voice behind “Nothing Compares 2 U”, but Bray also has its own, more everyday memories of her.

In 2019, local musician Tom Dalton recalled that she turned up at an acoustic night in Jim Doyle’s pub with her guitar and joined an impromptu “Amazing Grace”.

Her family said she loved living in Bray and the people in it. The town returned that affection when her funeral cortege passed Montebello in 2023. Thousands lined Strand Road; the hearse paused outside as people sang her songs and left flowers at the house. It was a fitting Bray goodbye: full of music, affection and the kind of personal connection her songs often seemed to make.

Montebello renovation work is now under way, and the approved plans include a commemorative plaque marking her years there.

Read about the renovation plans →

How about a little Bray on the Christmas tree? O’Kellys Jewellers on Main Street has a wooden Bandstand decoration, based on a line drawing by local artist Peter Growney — a nice little gift for anyone who loves Bray.

See the decoration and shop details →

Breakfast · The Martello. Starting early? Breakfast is served from 8am, with Boston baked beans, smoked bacon, a little chilli and applewood cheese on sourdough, topped with an organic fried egg. There’s also porridge, homemade granola and wild mushrooms on toast. See the menu →

Lunch · Papalinos. The Dublin Road chip shop has a €3 lunch from noon to 4pm: two sausages with chips, chicken nuggets with chips, or a battered sausage with chips. Simple, filling and easy on the wallet. Check Papalinos →

Dinner · Rara. In the mood for Nepalese or Indian food? Rara’s on Main Street, with dine-in and online ordering; there’s a pre-theatre menu if an earlier dinner suits. It’s open until 10pm daily, from 4pm Monday to Wednesday and 1pm Thursday to Sunday. Check the current menu and booking details before you go. See Rara’s menu →

Wednesday 4–Saturday 7 November · 7.30pm — The Great Gatsby. Square One Theatre Group closes its 50th-anniversary year with this production at Mermaid Arts Centre. Doors open at 7pm; tickets are €23 full price and €21 concession. Suitable for ages 12+. Check availability and book →

Thursday 5 November · 8pm — The Jam: Circle Session. An open mic for songwriters, poets, comedians and storytellers at Signal Arts Centre. It’s €5, booking is essential, and it’s for adults 18+. Free tea and coffee, too. Check the event and book →

Saturday 7 November · 6.30pm — Killruddery Harvest Ball. Food, music and art in support of two children’s causes: Their Lives Matter in Tanzania and Children Not Numbers in Gaza. The night includes the Dargle String Quartet and Midnight Ramblers, plus an art exhibition and charity auction. See details and tickets →

From Monday 9 November · Guardians of the Wild at Signal Arts Centre. Foxes and other native Irish animals take shape in Wicklow artist Lisa Mahony’s first solo show, using ceramic, cardboard, papier-mâché and wool. It runs through Sunday 22 November, with an opening reception on Friday 13 November, 7–9pm. See the exhibition details →

Next time you’re looking up at Bray Head, remember there’s an older story beneath the cross. The concrete cross on the summit was erected for the Holy Year in 1950. The quartzite and slate beneath it formed under the sea around 500 million years ago, and Oldhamia trace fossils have been found in the rocks. Bray Head is also a Special Area of Conservation, with heath and sea-cliff habitats, five recorded orchid species and seabirds including fulmars, razorbills, kittiwakes and black guillemots.

More on Bray Head’s history and landscape →

Quiz: What was the Bray Head Cross erected to mark?

Find the answer below the Meme of the Day

A few useful local notes for the week, whether you’re hoping to meet people, get out for a walk or drive south.

Free English conversation classes. New to the area and looking to practise your English? BNWAP’s Fáilte Isteach classes offer free, friendly conversation for adults aged 18+ from new communities, at all levels. Registration is required.

The Bray sessions are:
• Tuesday at St Andrew’s Church Hall (2–4pm)
• Wednesday at St Peter’s Parish Centre in Little Bray (7–9pm)
• Thursday at County Wicklow Lawn Tennis Club (9.30–11.30am).

Call 01 286 8266 or email [email protected] to register. Ask BNWAP about a place →

Planning a coastal walk? The Bray–Greystones Cliff Walk still has no through route. You can walk from Greystones as far as the southern barriers, or take the Bray Head loop. Stay behind the barriers, and check Wicklow County Council’s latest advice before setting out →

Driving south on the M11? Southbound closures between Junctions 13 and 18 continue on weeknights until Friday 13 November. Separate resurfacing between Junctions 16 and 18 is scheduled from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 November, 9pm–6am. If you’re travelling south late, check the council’s notice for the detours →

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