Issue #014 | What’s the Craic, Bray? | Friday 6 November 2026

🌤️ Bray's Weather Today

🌊 Sea and Shore

📰 The Local Lowdown

🍽️ Food & Drink Around Bray

📅 Weekend Rundown

✨ Craic for the Kids

📌 Do You Know…

😂 Meme of the Day

☕ Mornin’, Bray! If you’re heading out this weekend, YARN is bringing storytellers to Ballywaltrim, Killruddery and the Town Hall. The cliff walk has a fresh safety update, and we’ve found a small piece of seafront history you may have walked past a hundred times.

A dry start, then wetter into the afternoon. Met Éireann says any mist or fog should clear this morning, with most areas dry at first aside from patchy light rain or drizzle and the odd sunny spell. More persistent rain or drizzle is due into eastern parts as the day goes on. Highs around 9 to 12°C in a light northeasterly or variable wind. A light rain jacket will earn its keep if you’re on the prom later.

Check the live Bray forecast on Met Éireann →

Bray Harbour tides for Friday 6 November: low about 02:45 and 15:00; high about 09:15 and 21:30 (Irish local time). We’re heading into bigger spring tides over the weekend, so give the strand a wider margin if you’re walking near the water. Bray tide times →

Wicklow County Council says rope-access and inspection work is now under way above the cliff walk between Bray and Greystones. Loose stones may be dislodged during the work, and one falling rock has already knocked over a fence post.

The full route remains closed, with no reopening date yet announced. Be sure to continue to use the council’s alternative-route advice while crews are on the cliffs.

Read the latest update on the council’s notice →

For Bray movie fans: The Arc Cinema & Social says it’s aiming to welcome its first customers at Bray Central before Christmas. The team is hiring ahead of opening, with roles across the new venue. You need to be 18 or over. Group interviews are due in mid-November. Apply through the link below.

See the update here → • See the roles and apply →

YARN Storytelling Festival returns from Saturday 7 to Sunday 15 November for its 17th year. Storytelling might sound like a quiet art, but the programme gets out into the town: libraries, Killruddery, Mermaid and Bray Town Hall all have a part in it. And there’s a Bray connection at the centre of this year’s line-up.

Naoise Ó Duinn, a storyteller born and raised here, co-leads a Sunday workshop that pairs a personal story with a traditional tale.

Galway storyteller Órla McGovern and Moroccan teller Lalla Fatima Ait Abderrahman are also among the visiting voices.

It’s a fine chance to hear stories and traditions meet in places we know. We’ve picked out a few of the weekend dates below.

Browse the YARN programme →

Ease into Friday with a coffee and a pastry at Butlers Chocolate Café in Bray Central (Unit 8, Main Street). It’s open from 8.30am on weekdays. See Butlers Chocolate Café, Bray →

For lunch, McGettigan’s serves from noon, with its weekday early-bird menu running from 3 to 6pm if lunch drifts into an early dinner. Check the menu and details →

La Piazza is open from 4pm on Friday. The crabmeat ravioli, with crab, prawns and a pink sauce, is one for a slower dinner. See the menu →

Here’s a clear run at Saturday and Sunday, with the family picks gathered under Craic for the Kids just below.

A free Friday-night trad session at the Harbour Bar. The pub says music starts at 9.30pm in the bar; worth checking ahead if you’re making a special trip. See what’s on at The Harbour Bar →

Sarah McKenna Dunne brings a 45-minute story about traditional cures, friendship and growing up during the recession to Bray Town Hall (upstairs), with live musicians. There’s a lift. Tickets are €15; suitable for ages 12+. The listing includes content warnings for mental health, suicide, transphobia and grief. Details and tickets →

A three-hour storytelling workshop for adults in Mermaid’s Workshop Room (upstairs), led by Bray-born storyteller Naoise Ó Duinn and theatre-maker Sinéad O’Brien. Bring a personal story you’d like to tell; the workshop pairs it with a traditional tale. Tickets €25. Workshop details and tickets →

YARN storytellers Lalla Fatima Ait Abderrahman and Órla Mc Govern share tales at Bray Town Hall. Upstairs, with a lift available. Tickets €15. Event details and booking →

Saturday 7 November · 11am: Family Storytelling at Ballywaltrim Library. A free hour of stories with Órla McGovern, for ages 5 and up. No booking needed. Details →

Saturday 7 November · 2pm: Killruddery Family Tales. Lalla Fatima Ait Abderrahman brings stories to the Shoot Room in Killruddery Yard. Free, for ages 5+, about an hour, and no booking needed. Details →

Sunday 8 November · 3pm: Niall de Búrca’s World Tales. A 45-minute storytelling show at Mermaid Arts Centre for ages 6+. Tickets €11. Book with Mermaid →

Bray’s Esplanade was laid out by William Dargan between 1859 and 1861, as the town was becoming a popular seaside resort. The bandstand on the promenade has a story of its own: it first stood in Herbert Park during Dublin’s 1907 Irish International Exhibition, before being moved to Bray in 1908.

Originally known as the Evening Bandstand, it was one of three installed along the seafront. It’s the only one still standing. Its octagonal frame, cast-iron columns and copper-clad roof are still the landmarks locals know. Wicklow County Council began a refurbishment of the Victorian bandstand on the Esplanade in January 2019, with work planned on the fabric, corroded ironwork, lighting and guttering.

Next time you’re out on the promenade, look up. You might not have known this familiar landmark began life in Dublin.

Read the heritage record → · About the Council’s 2019 project →

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