2.30pm Friday 8th May 2026 at Newtownpark Pastoral Centre, Church of the Guardian Angels, Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

People Like Us

A Family Story by Julie Parsons

Our speaker Julie Parsons is a writer, with eight books to her credit. Julie’s book ‘The Therapy House’ won the prestigious Crime Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book awards in 2017. Since then, she has been writing the story of her Church of Ireland family *People Like Us” – her first non-fiction book.

Written as a series of imagined conversations between Julie and her mother and father, using letters, diaries, memories and historical records, Julie tells the story of her Irish Protestant family. They were soldiers, clergymen, shop keepers, musicians and poets. Some came to Ireland as part of Cromwell’s army. Their descendants were doctors, giving succour to the Famine poor and providing maternity care to the women of inner city Dublin. Many were clergymen, ministering to parishes throughout the country. Both her parents served in the 2nd World War; her mother, Elizabeth Chamberlain, a clergyman’s daughter from Dun Laoghaire was a naval officer. Her father, Andy Parsons from Greystones, received the Military Cross for gallantry as a doctor at the battle of El Alamein in 1942. He was lost at sea in the South Pacific 13 years later. Irish men and Irish women, part of our shared history.

This is an entrancing story told for the first time by our speaker who is a superb story teller. Don’t miss this fascinating afternoon!