Maine Irish Reads ‘Our London Lives’ by Christine Dwyer Hickey

Schedule

Thu, 11 Jun, 2026 at 07:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

34 Gray St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102 | Portland, ME

Advertisement
Maine Irish Reads, our monthly book club, meets every second Thursday here at the Center!
From 7:30 – 9 PM in the MIHC Library. Bring a friend. The more, the merrier.
About this month’s book:
‘Huge of heart and soaring of soul’ CLAIRE KILROY
‘A profound love story…Like Barbara Kingsolver, Hickey captures the pulse of the living moment’ COLUM McCANN
1979. In the vast and often unforgiving city of London, two Irish outsiders seeking refuge find one Milly, a teenage runaway, and Pip, a young boxer full of anger and potential who is beginning to drink it all away.
Over the decades their lives follow different paths, interweaving from time to time, often in one another’s sight, always on one another’s mind, yet rarely together.
Forty years on, Milly is clinging onto the only home she’s ever really known while Pip, haunted by T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, traipses the streets of London and wrestles with the life of the recovering alcoholic. And between them, perhaps uncrossable, lies the unspoken span of their lives.
Dark and brave, this epic novel offers a rich and moving portrait of an ever-changing city, and a profound inquiry into character, loneliness and the nature of love.
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

34 Gray St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Maine Irish Heritage Center

Host or Publisher Maine Irish Heritage Center

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Portland

Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Thompsons Point
Fri, 19 Jun Joe Russo's Almost Dead at Thompsons Point

Thompsons Point

CALENDAR
Portland, ME Pride Bar Crawl
Sat, 20 Jun at 04:00 pm Portland, ME Pride Bar Crawl

Mathew's

PARTIES BAR-CRAWLS
Monty Python's Spamalot
Mon, 22 Jun at 07:00 pm Monty Python's Spamalot

Merrill Auditorium

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Monty Python\u2019s \u201cSpamalot\u201d Broadway National Tour
Tue, 23 Jun at 07:00 pm Monty Python’s “Spamalot” Broadway National Tour

Merrill Auditorium

ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY
Silent Book Club - Portland
Mon, 10 Mar at 05:00 pm Silent Book Club - Portland

Blind Tiger Portland – Danforth Street

From Ethiopia to Mexico: Beejhy Barhany & Margaret Boyle
Thu, 30 Oct at 06:00 pm From Ethiopia to Mexico: Beejhy Barhany & Margaret Boyle

1342 Congress Street, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

ART LITERARY-ART
Colin Woodard's 'Nations Apart' w\/ Alison Beyea
Mon, 03 Nov at 07:00 pm Colin Woodard's 'Nations Apart' w/ Alison Beyea

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Kate Baer's HOW ABOUT NOW w\/ Chelsea Conaboy
Fri, 07 Nov at 06:00 pm Kate Baer's HOW ABOUT NOW w/ Chelsea Conaboy

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Maine Public's Daniel Tiger's Grr-iffic Literacy Tour with Julie Falatko
Wed, 12 Nov at 03:30 pm Maine Public's Daniel Tiger's Grr-iffic Literacy Tour with Julie Falatko

Portland Public Library

ART LITERARY-ART
Maine Irish Reads \u201cThe Sea\u201d by John Banville
Thu, 13 Nov at 04:00 pm Maine Irish Reads “The Sea” by John Banville

34 Gray St, Portland, ME, United States, Maine 04102

HEALTH-WELLNESS ART
Kids Con NE Maine 2025
Sat, 15 Nov at 10:00 am Kids Con NE Maine 2025

DoubleTree by Hilton Portland Maine

KIDS ART
Quiet Nights: A Book Club at Mechanics' Hall
Mon, 17 Nov at 05:00 pm Quiet Nights: A Book Club at Mechanics' Hall

Mechanics' Hall

ART FINE-ARTS
An Evening with James Geary: "The World in a Phrase"
Tue, 18 Nov at 07:00 pm An Evening with James Geary: "The World in a Phrase"

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Elements of Timeless Style Book Signing - Portland, ME
Thu, 20 Nov at 05:00 pm Elements of Timeless Style Book Signing - Portland, ME

Portland Art Gallery

ART
Jan Brett  Presentation + Signing BARNES & NOBLE South Portland, ME
Sat, 29 Nov at 10:00 am Jan Brett Presentation + Signing BARNES & NOBLE South Portland, ME

Barnes & Noble South Portland (Maine Crossing)

CHRISTMAS
Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (December)
Tue, 02 Dec at 12:00 pm Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (December)

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART
Lone Pine Book Club December Meeting
Sat, 06 Dec at 12:30 pm Lone Pine Book Club December Meeting

Argenta Brewing Company

MEETUPS WORKSHOPS
The Past Is Not Past: Embracing the Politics of Memory - Anthony Walton
Mon, 08 Dec at 06:00 pm The Past Is Not Past: Embracing the Politics of Memory - Anthony Walton

UNE Center for Global Humanities

ART LITERARY-ART
Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (January)
Tue, 06 Jan at 12:00 pm Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (January)

Mechanics' Hall

ART SPORTS
Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (February)
Tue, 03 Feb at 12:00 pm Mechanics' Hall Book Discussion Group (February)

Mechanics' Hall

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in Portland?

Discover Portland Events