Macleans Cleaning Services Honoured with Second Business All-Star Accreditation
Macleans Cleaning Services, based in Balbriggan, County Dublin, has received its second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025 from the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

Under CEO Emma Maclean’s leadership, the company has solidified its reputation for consistent excellence, reliability, and a customer-first approach within the commercial and educational cleaning sectors.

Neil and Emma Maclean from Macleans Cleaning Services celebrate after Macleans Cleaning Services were honoured with Business All-Star 2025 accreditation by the All-Ireland Business Foundation.

As a family-owned, Irish-run enterprise, Macleans Cleaning Services prides itself on trustworthy, friendly, and professionally trained staff - each Garda-vetted and insured.

By providing tailored solutions across offices, schools, and facilities, their onsite supervisors ensure strict adherence to high standards using top-quality machinery and materials.

The 2025 accreditation reaffirms their unwavering commitment to service integrity, continuous improvement, and the well-being of both clients and employees.

Reacting to the news, Emma Maclean, Chief Executive Officer of Macleans Cleaning Services, said: “We are thrilled to receive our second consecutive Business All-Star Accreditation 2025. This honour reflects the dedication of every cleaner, supervisor, and support staff member at Macleans. Our mission has always been to provide a service that goes beyond cleanliness—adding value, safety, and peace of mind to our clients’ environments. This recognition inspires us to keep exceeding expectations.”

Announcing the accreditation, Kieran Ring, Deputy Chair of the AIBF Adjudication Board, said:
“Macleans Cleaning Services has demonstrated exceptional consistency in delivering high-quality, reliable cleaning solutions. Their family-centric culture, combined with rigorous staff training and dedicated onsite supervision, sets them apart. Earning back-to-back All-Star status speaks volumes about their integrity, operational excellence, and genuine care for clients and community alike.”

Kapil Khanna, Managing Director of the AIBF, added: “Macleans Cleaning Services exemplifies the true meaning of a family-run business that delivers professional excellence at scale. Their commitment to ongoing training, quality machinery, and client satisfaction has raised the bar for the cleaning industry. We congratulate Emma Maclean and her team on this well-deserved back-to-back accreditation.”

On Saturday, August 2nd, the heart of Balbriggan will beat a little louder as the community gathers at Glebe North Football Club for the Fran Malone Memorial Cup — a charity football match that’s more than just a game. It’s a tribute, a celebration, and a rallying cry for support, all rolled into one.

This year’s match is in proud support of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan, (https://criticalcharity.ie/), a volunteer-led emergency medical response group that’s redefining what it means to serve. These are the people who drop everything when a call comes in — trained responders who act as an extension of the National Ambulance Service, racing to the scene of cardiac arrests, heart attacks, strokes, and choking incidents. Their mission is simple but profound: to save lives.

The volunteers of CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan are community locals. They’ve undergone rigorous training, Garda vetting, and are preparing to launch August 2025.

Leading up to the CRITICAL CFR Balbriggan launch, the most ambitious and largest scale community project in the town’s history, COMMUNITY HEARTS, a masterclass in grassroots community action with the installation of residential defibrillators for every estate in the town. Ensuring all residents of the second most densely populated town in Ireland are within 3-5 minutes of their nearest accessible defibrillator.

The Fran Malone Memorial Cup, just like Fran, is dedicated to helping others, the football match for charity carries forward Fran’s legacy of compassion and generosity. Last year’s match raised over €8,000 for hospice care. This year, every euro raised will go toward equipping CRITICAL responders with the tools they need to save lives.

So come down to Glebe North on August 2nd. Cheer on your local legends, meet the volunteers, and be part of something bigger than football. Whether you donate, volunteer, or simply show up — your presence matters.

Let’s make this match one to remember. For Fran. For Balbriggan. For all of us.

Dedicated fund-raising page: https://criticalcfr.enthuse.com/cf/fran-malone-memorial-cup. Facebook Page for CRITICAL CFR- Balbriggan. www.criticalcharity.ie/

The Balbriggan Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the appointment of Jude O’Sullivan as its new president. The transition took place during a recent gathering where Councillor Tony Murphy provided a brief history of the Chamber, highlighting the significance of the Chain of Office and the motto engraved on it. “Mollain an obair an bhaile”

During the event, Chris Harmon from Country Crest expressed gratitude to the outgoing president, Richard Berney of UHY Farrelly Dawe White, Accountants, Balbriggan for his dedicated service to the Chamber, and a Richard ‘s contributions were acknowledged. Unfortunately Richard sadly passed away on the 24th May and our thoughts are with his family. May Richard RIP.

In his acceptance speech, Jude O’Sullivan thanked everyone for their support and expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with Chamber members, the community, and local authorities to advance the Rejuvenation Plan. He emphasized the importance of this initiative in revitalizing the area and enhancing local business opportunities.

Jude also welcomed the recent upgrades to the Harry Reynolds Road, which now features a new Pedestrian & Cycling Route. This project not only connects local businesses, schools, and sports facilities but also significantly improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting active travel within the community.

As the Chamber moves forward under Jude’s leadership, there is a shared sense of optimism about the future and the potential for positive change in Balbriggan.

The second annual Balbriggan LGBTQ Pride was held on George’s Square on June 7th 2025. Local musicians from the Sceal Collective played on a rainbow stage outside the Our Balbriggan hub from 2pm to 6pm. MC Eddie McGuinness kept the day going smoothly. There were also street performers from Circusful, entering the crowd with juggling and dancing.

Community gardai, local politicians and representatives of many local groups attended the day. There was the chance to learn about services in Balbriggan on the information stalls, such as the Outcomers social meet up for LGBTQ adults in Flemington Community Centre and the LGBTQ Book and Film club in Balbriggan Library.

The Balbriggan LGBTQ Committee group is a member of Fingal PPN and received funding from Fingal County Council for the day. The committee was set up with the assistance of Outcomers LGBT Support Services.

To get in touch please email: balbrigganlgbtq@gmail.com.

GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs

What a summer it has been so far for the Branch of Guide Dogs. The branch has been busy and enjoying all the wonderful support, especially on Guide Dog Day where a fantastic total was raised on Friday the 23rd May in Millfield Shopping Centre of €1,126.11 and on Saturday the 24th May at SuperValu, Balbriggan a total of €698.64 was raised. We want to once again say thank you to all our volunteers and to everyone who supported us.

At the end of May, the Skerries Community Choir held a summer concert and a fantastic sum of €1,000 was donated; €400 collected on the night and a further €600 later from the choir. Tom O’Neill and guide dog Qeb were in attendance with some of our volunteers and a brilliant evening was had by all. A big thank you to Jane Carroll and all the Skerries Community Choir for supporting our branch. If you didn’t spot us at the Choir, you might have seen our wonderful volunteers who attended the Balbriggan Summerfest on the 1st June where merchandise and raffle tickets to win a luxury holiday were sold, with €324.30 raised. We still have raffle tickets available so be on the lookout for our next event which will be in Skerries Mills at the farmers market on Saturday 16th August and make sure to come get yourself one.
Tom and guide dog Qeb have also been busy, giving talks about what a guide dog does and also visual impairments. Tom and Qeb recently attended Buíon Peade ragus Pòh Brigins Junior Girl Guides, who did a sponsored walk for Guide Dog Day, with €320 raised. They also attended Tyndall College in Carlow and Ballinalee National School in Co Longford to give a final school talk for 2024/2025 and of course once again Qeb was the star of the show.

If you would like to keep up to date with our upcoming events, make sure to follow our social media pages for more information. You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0857663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs

Every year, on the last Sunday of April, Phoenix Park transforms into a lively celebration of Japanese culture during the Experience Japan Hanami Festival. Visitors from across Ireland gather to enjoy authentic food, live music, traditional and modern dance performances, cultural workshops, art displays, and martial arts demonstrations. Families picnic on the grass, children try their hand at calligraphy and origami, and performances on the main stage bring Japan’s rich heritage to life in the heart of Dublin.
The festival takes its name and inspiration from Hanami, the Japanese tradition of admiring cherry blossoms. In Japan, sakura blossoms are more than just beautiful flowers — their brief blooming period is a powerful symbol of the fleeting nature of life. This awareness of impermanence, and the calm acceptance of it, is deeply woven into Japanese culture. The same philosophy shaped Bushido, the code of the samurai, where martial arts were not merely for combat but for cultivating discipline, resilience, and clarity of mind. These old values remain central to Japanese society even today.

That’s why martial arts demonstrations became an organic part of the Experience Japan Festival. This year’s performances featured both classical and modern disciplines — from Kashima Shinto-ryu, a traditional sword style, and Naginata, a polearm-based art, to Karate and Aikido, which adapt centuries-old principles to the modern world. Despite their differences, all these arts share the same core values: self-awareness, control, and respect.

Takemusu Aikido Society, a local club, proudly represented the Balbriggan community at this year’s festival. We train weekly at the Balbriggan Clubs Community Centre, and it was a pleasure to bring our practice to a wider audience in Phoenix Park.

Our 20-minute demonstration didn’t just display Aikido techniques — it guided the audience through the art’s structured progression, offering insight into how Aikido is studied and internalised over time. Aikido, though modern, is rooted in older forms of Jujutsu and swordsmanship, and it carries forward the samurai spirit: composure under pressure, centred movement, and profound respect for both partner and opponent.

The demonstration followed the traditional structure of Aikido studying: starting with sword-work, moving through empty-handed techniques, and concluding with staff practice. We began with solo and paired sword forms, demonstrating how Aikido movements originate from classical swordsmanship. Sword exercises form the foundation of Aikido, training balance, focus, coordination, and a refined sense of timing — all essential skills that underpin the entire art.

We then transitioned to empty-handed techniques, demonstrating how throws progress from basic to more advanced forms, including powerful hip throws. In Aikido, effectiveness doesn’t come from brute force, but from blending with an attack and redirecting it using whole-body movement. To highlight this principle, a 12-year-old boy performed clean, precise throws on a well-built adult partner — a beautiful illustration of how skill, timing, and connection outweigh size or strength.

We then moved on to staff techniques, the third pillar of Aikido practice. These exercises blend the principles learned through sword and empty-handed practice, building precision, rhythm, and responsiveness.

To conclude, our head instructor demonstrated how the same movements could be applied across all situations — empty-handed, disarming a sword, or neutralising a staff. This final sequence illustrated the universality of Aikido’s principles, regardless of weapon or context.

The demonstration ended with a dramatic staff-versus-sword defence, bringing everything full circle: from sword, to body, to staff — all connected in one seamless flow.

It was an honour to represent Balbriggan at this celebration of Japanese culture. We welcome new members of all ages and backgrounds to join us on the mats and explore the depth, clarity, and grace of Aikido for themselves.

To learn more, visit www.aiki.ie or find us on social media.

April and May were busy months for our Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs. On April 12th our Branch was presented with two cheques from the Tesco Balbriggan and Tesco Rush Community Fund. There were many doggies in attendance, Qeb the working guide dog, Lulu the guide dog puppy in training, Marco the assistance dog, Gigi the assistance dog and Adel the ambassador dog who were all very grateful to Tesco Balbriggan and Rush for their kind donation. Of course all the humans were at the cheque presentation too and we want to give a big thank you to all the residents of Balbriggan and surrounding areas who took the time to place their tokens in the Irish Guide Dog Tesco Community fund box.

On April 13th our Branch fundraised at Hers Upstairs at Mrs O’s craft fair and a great day was had by all. Keep your eye on our social media pages to see when the next craft fair will be and you might just see us there.
Of course, May was a busy month with Guide Dog Day on the 23rd May! Fundraising kicked off on the 22nd May as Skerries Community Choir held a summer concert in Holm Patrick Church who made a generous donation from the proceeds to our Branch. We can’t thank the Skerries Community Choir enough for their support. Our Branch then fundraised at Millfield Shopping Centre, Balbriggan for Guide Dog Day where we sold merchandise along with raffle tickets at €5 to potentially win a luxury holiday worth €5,000! We also fundraised on Saturday the 24th May in SuperValu, Balbriggan. A great day was had by all and a big thank you to anyone who came along and said hello and supported us.

If you would like to come and support us, you can find us next at the Balbriggan Summer Fest on Sunday 1st June, where we will have raffle tickets for €5 each to win a holiday, along with other merchandise and perhaps a Guide Dog or two will be there to say hello.

If you would like to get in touch with us, you can contact the Balbriggan/North
County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs by phone/text 0857663107,
email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

Pictured at the UCD/BSTAI Awards Night at the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business are [L–R]: Ciara O’Riordan, President, BSTAI; Students Muireann Bagley; Nikola Bodrova; Zara Bradvica; Unain Browne-Donnan; Sarah Farrell; Robyn Foster; Sophie Mohan; Aisling Murphy; Aoife Doherty, Director, UCD Quinn School of Business; Paula Gartland, Business Studies Teacher, Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan.
This prestigious event recognised the outstanding achievements of secondary school students who excelled in the Junior Certificate State Examinations in 2024.

The ceremony celebrated the hard work and dedication of 123 students who achieved a Distinction in their Higher Level Business Studies exam, which represents the top 3% of students. This marks an exciting milestone for these students, many of whom are now in their Transition Year and visiting UCD for the first time.

Each student was formally presented with a Certificate of Achievement by the President of the BSTAI, Ciaran O’Riordan, and Director of UCD Quinn School, Associate Professor Maeve Houlihan, in recognition of their academic excellence.

The internationally touring American comedy show, Scriptless in Seattle, brings its one-of-a-kind musical improv to the Lark in Balbriggan on 4th June at 7pm, where a show will be written and performed for the first (and last) time anywhere!

No two shows are ever the same. “I’ve been touring with this show for years, and not one performance has ever been like another,” says tour manager and emcee Justin Folger. “We like to say the show the audience sees has never been performed before—and will never be performed again. And we mean it.”
Folger, who’s been on stage without a script for over seven years, is joined by a team of seasoned improvisers known for their quick wit, crowd work, and unpredictable hilarity.

“I love looking out at the audience and seeing everyone from families with young kids to couples who’ve been together 55 years,” says longtime performer James Trombka. “Everyone leaves smiling.”

Performer Eli Popik adds, “We’re thrilled to be bringing this show to Ireland. It’s a perfect family night out. It’s affordable, clean, and interactive—you might even end up on stage!”

Scriptless in Seattle specializes in family-friendly sketch-style improv that’s fully unscripted and shaped by audience suggestions. The tour includes stops in over a dozen cities across the U.S. and two this summer in Ireland.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at ScriptlessInSeattle.com. Get yours while you can!

Make way for something different, there’s a new band in town, and they’re setting the stage alight with timeless charm. Meet “Let’s Be Frank,” a Frank Sinatra cover band founded by a group of jazz students at Dublin City University, led by the velvet-voiced James Gallen.

Formed in late 2023, Let’s Be Frank are on a mission to rekindle the soul of the Rat Pack era, delivering fresh takes on Sinatra classics with youthful energy, sharp arrangements, and a deep respect for the musicality of the greats, pre the auto-tune era.

“Our goal is to capture the elegance and swagger of Sinatra, but give it a modern heartbeat that feels relevant today,” says frontman James Gallen, whose smooth vocals and magnetic stage presence are earning attention well beyond the lecture hall. Band members include Joey Leamy, Theo Johnson, Sean Crehan and Jarlath Byrne.

The band, all trained in jazz performance, are gearing up to record their debut album, a curated blend of faithful renditions and daring reinterpretations of Sinatra’s most beloved hits. Expect to hear new life breathed into timeless tracks like Fly Me to the Moon, My Way, and The Way You Look Tonight, all with a modern twist.

With a string of live performances around the capital under their belt, already drawing jazz aficionados and newcomers to date, Let’s Be Frank are proving that the classics aren’t just alive — they’re thriving.
The Debut Single “Fly Me To The Moon”, from Let’s Be Frank was released on Saturday May 10th on all digital platforms, and it’s sure to be swingin!