Welcome

The organising committee are delighted to welcome you to Dublin for BOPSS 2018 annual scientific meeting. The meeting will be held from 13^th – 15^th June in “The Printworks” conference centre at Dublin Castle, situated very close to the city centre.

We are also delighted to welcome our two invited keynote speakers:

• Tim Sullivan, Brisbane, Australia.
• Peter Dolman, Vancouver, Canada.

We hope you can join us for what we expect will be a very educational and sociable few days.

Fáilte go hÉireann,

Tim Fulcher and Gerry Fahy.

Venue: The Printworks, Dublin Castle

Wednesday 13^th – Friday 15^th June 2018

The Printworks is the largest and newest conference venue in Dublin Castle, opened for Ireland’s hosting of the European Presidency in 2013. It is located in the lower courtyard of the castle with unrivalled views of Dublin’s last intact medieval tower.

Dublin Castle itself was erected in the early thirteenth century on the site of a Viking settlement. Dublin Castle served for centuries as the headquarters of the English, and later British, administration in Ireland. In 1922, following Ireland’s independence, Dublin Castle was handed over to the new Irish government. It is now a major government complex and a key tourist attraction.

Welcome reception: Dublin City Hall

Wednesday 13^th June 2018 at 5.30pm

City Hall was built between 1769 and 1779, having been designed by Thomas Cooley, a young architect from London. If you look to the ceiling you will see that there is a stained glass dome, initially this was meant to be left open, in the same vein as the Pantheon, however given that we are in Ireland and it rains so often, they decided to cover it in.

Initially when City Hall was built, it was built as The Royal Exchange. This was where you would have come to exchange Irish Punt into English Sterling. This was where merchants and guildsmen gathered to discuss their trading affairs. If you look out the West door onto Castle Street, that was where the banks were located and if you look out the windows to the east, where the trading happened. Over by the Olympia Theatre was where debts were collected. This really was an epicentre of trade in Dublin for the later part of the 18th Century.

The building was restored to its 18th-century appearance at the beginning of the 21st century, and today is regularly used for weddings, corporate events and as a tourist attraction.

Gala Dinner: Guinness Storehouse

Thursday 14^th June 2018 at 7.30pm

Located in the heart of the St. James’s Gate Brewery, the Guinness Storehouse is Ireland’s most popular tourist attraction, with a total of 1.65 million visitors last year. It’s the home of the Black Stuff, the heart of Dublin and an unforgettable Irish adventure.

You will start the evening by taking a self-guided tour through the first few floors of the storehouse, where you will find out exactly what it takes to make beer the “Guinness way”. From the famous strain of yeast, to the passion shared by the brewers, and the extraordinary lengths taken to bring you the world’s number-one stout.

You will be welcomed onto the third floor for a pre-dinner drinks reception, where you will get the opportunity to pull the perfect pint of Guinness (and even sample it!). Dinner will then be served in the Arrol Suite followed by music, dancing and craic!

The Royal Dublin Golf Club

Tuesday 12^th June 2018 at 11am

The BOPSS golf outing will be hosted at The Royal Dublin Golf club.

Situated just 5 miles from Dublin city centre, The Royal Dublin GC is one of Ireland finest links golf courses. It was the home club of the late great Christy O’Connor senior. It was also the former host of the Irish open where there were great champions, including Bernhard Langer and Seve Ballesteros.

Dublin Literary Pub Crawl

Tuesday 12^th June 2018 at 7.30pm

This is a walking tour of Dublin’s historic pubs in the company of two actors, who will introduce writers (a selection from Joyce, Beckett, Behan, Mary Lavin, Oscar Wilde, Eavan Boland, Paula Meehan, Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley) and perform scenes from their works.

The tour lasts just over 2 hours, involves a walk of about a half a mile in total and a visit to four pubs. There is also a stop in Trinity College to talk about Oscar Wilde and some of the writers from the 1960s to the present day.

The tour starts at about 7.30pm from The Duke Pub (9 Duke Street). Food is available at the pub before the tour starts. If you want to eat at the pub, it is recommended that you arrive at 6.30pm.