010 Get Stuck In - AUSTIN CAFFREY talks about The London Pull

AUSTIN CAFFREY was a regular at Travelling Through. He ran the very popular Philosophy Café which attracted young and old from all over London many of whom were new to London and came from all parts of the world. Austin was born in Ireland but grew up in London. He played keyboard in a punk band and enjoyed the London music scene of the 70s. He qualified within the Institute of Financial Services. He lived and worked in Jersey, Bermuda and Hong Kong. Returning to London relatively recently, he re-trained and currently advises companies on Organisational Psychology. When Austin's family moved to the UK from Ireland in the mid 1960's prejudice against the "Irish and Blacks" was still visibly expressed in various parts of the country with signage requesting them not to enter some places like B&Bs.

THIS IS AUSTIN'S UNIQUE STORY ABOUT LONDON, THE WORLD AND LIFE.

“Get stuck in.

I run a philosophy café,

And the great thing about that is a lot of the people are international,

And they are there to have more than just a trivial conversation.

So I would recommend you get out there and join things,

Do adult education classes so that you get to know people,

London can be a lonely city,

And Londoners (it’s probably fair to say) are not the most open and friendly of people,

If you smile at someone up North they with smile back,

But down here they are wondering what you want,

(That’s a bit of an exaggeration – he says with a smile)

But it’s true to say, it can be a place where people can feel very lonely,

So getting out to meet other people is important.”

 

AUSTIN'S  CONTACT DETAILS...

Austin runs The Philosophy Café, details can be found here: https://www.meetup.com/Waterloo-Philosophy-Cafe/

 

ABOUT THE PODCAST...

 

Information on Travelling Through… with Emma can be found at: https://www.travellingthrough.co.uk/

 

The Travelling Through Jingle was written and produced by Mariska Martina https://www.mariskamartina.com/

 

Show notes 010 AUSTIN CAFFREY Show Notes can be found at this link https://travellingthrough.podbean.com

 

Thanks to Austin Caffrey and Catherine Huckle for hosting this podcast recording on 06.02.2020