The Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs had a coffee morning at the end of September in the Senior Citizens Centre where a total of €529.70 was raised and then our Branch had a quiz night on the 2nd October where a fantastic night was had by all and €1,350 was raised for our Branch. A big thank you to Tina for arranging, to Claire Ann for organising the questions, to the Harvest Pub, Balbriggan for having us and of course to the people who came and supported our Branch.
Our merchandise stands and events are very important to our Branch as it is where we generate the majority of fundraising for Guide Dogs. As the year is nearing the end we have a couple more events and we would love if you came along and supported us so we can end the year with a surge for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. We appreciate all the people who come out and support us or stop and say hello. We also appreciate the support of the staff in Millfield Shopping Centre and SuperValu who continue to let us fundraise at their premises,
If you would like to come along and support us, make sure to drop by SuperValu, Balbriggan on Friday 6th November and Saturday 7th November or if you miss us there you can catch us again at Millfield Shopping Centre on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st November where we will have plush guide dog teddies, Christmas cards and raffle tickets to win a car. We will also be in the Central (Mr’s O’s), Balbriggan on Friday 27th November for a music bingo night where Tulips band will be playing for puppy in training Tulips. Come along have a sing song and a drink all for a good cause! And you might even get to see Tulips at work!
If you would like to volunteer with us or simply get in contact; you can contact our Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.
If you have walked past Balbriggan Clubs Community Centre or Martello Tower, you may have noticed the bright yellow banners advertising Takemusu Aikido Society. Perhaps you have heard about aikido, or read about it in the pages of Balbriggan Locals, and maybe even considered joining a free trial lesson. But did you know that those sunny yellow banners, bringing a little reminder of summer to the grey Irish winter, were made possible by an organisation called As Darragh Did?
As Darragh Did was founded by Andrew McGinley in memory of his son Darragh, who died alongside his brother Conor and sister Carla on 24 January 2020. Darragh was only seven, but he was an active member of his community, taking part in football, GAA, scouts, athletics, drama and other activities. He was always involved in something.
Andrew had promised Darragh that he would get involved as a coach with his football team. He kept that promise and went much further by finding a way to encourage others to follow Darragh’s example. Since 2020, around 300 small organisations, often run by volunteers, have received more than half a million euros in support of local projects across Ireland. Behind those figures are clubs, volunteers and people whose lives have been touched by that generosity. Takemusu Aikido Society was fortunate to be part of that story.
Last November, our club received support from As Darragh Did because we wanted to help local people discover aikido and, more importantly, encourage them to keep practising after their first few classes.
Our aim has never been simply to attract as many people as possible to a class. It is to help people find an activity they enjoy and a group they want to remain part of. We are deeply grateful to Andrew and everyone behind As Darragh Did for helping us make that possible.
Andrew has recently announced that As Darragh Did will be winding up. It is sad to see an initiative that has helped so many communities come to an end, but its legacy lives on in the hundreds of projects it supported and the people who benefited from them. We hope the spirit behind it will continue: people giving their time, sharing what they can and helping others take part in local life.
Meanwhile, Andrew has been working on a very different project. He has become an author, publishing a children’s adventure for readers aged 8–12. His first book, Prestin and the Booger Oath, is a wonderfully silly, unapologetically ridiculous story meant to make young readers laugh. Its origins, however, are deeply personal.
Among the things Andrew’s children left behind was a homemade comic created by Conor and Darragh, with Carla also inspiring the story. Its central character was a boy called Prestin. Andrew has taken that original idea and expanded it into a much bigger adventure, in which Prestin and his best friend Dara discover an imaginary world of rebellious boogers and a rather explosive plan involving a giant snot explosion. Writing the book has given Andrew an opportunity to reconnect with something his children created while they were alive, celebrating their humour and imagination. But Prestin and the Booger Oath is not a book about tragedy. As Andrew explains, it is “about bringing something my children created to life and allowing their imagination to make other children laugh”.
Writing has also given Andrew a way to step away, for a while, from the more difficult parts of life, and immerse himself in a world where almost anything can happen. He has already completed two further books about Prestin’s adventures, as well as another book based on one of his children’s creations. His first book is now a reality, growing from a homemade comic into a story other children can enjoy.
Andrew will present Prestin and the Booger Oath on 5th November. The book is available for pre-order from amazon.ie and buythebook.ie.
Balbriggan natives Sarah and Natalie McCormack have set themselves the challenge of competing in TRYKA - a hybrid race that includes both strength and endurance based exercises as a personal challenge and to raise funds for Arthritis Ireland, a cause that is close to Sarah’s heart who has lived with Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of 14.
Speaking about the event Sarah said, ‘This is a challenge that means a lot to us personally. At 14 I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis- an autoimmune disease that affects the joints in painful flares. It had felt like growing pains at first, spiralling into a full body flare that resulted in me missing almost 8 months of school, damaging joints in my hands and feet from the aggressive flare, and having to depend on family for simple daily tasks, like brushing my hair, or walking more than a few feet.
Natalie from a young age has always been a strong advocate for physical exercise, health, and in believing people are more capable than they realize. When she first got her personal trainer degree, her first client (target) was Sarah and Natalie helped her to reclaim the physical abilities Sarah had thought would be for ‘regular’ people
‘We’re doing it for everyone in Ireland affected by the disease, Sarah continued, ‘Arthritis is a disease that affects the body and mind, and that can be really lonely for a lot of people. Constant chronic pain, fatigue, restlessness, discomfort, uncertainty, depression, feeling misunderstood, feeling ‘less than’, and sometimes feeling treated that way, can impact people in all sorts of ways, and Arthritis Ireland does tons of brilliant stuff to help. But, we are also aware that they aren’t the only people that suffer. The families of those diagnosed can feel a lot of those things too. Unwell people (speaking from some personal experience here) can be hard on the people around them.’
‘Our parents took the brunt of the worries away from me and quietly hid their sleepless nights over doctor appointments and fears for my future, while they also made sure that I was as comfortable as I could have been, even when I couldn’t say thank you for that. I was fortunate to have sisters that never treated me differently (even when I wished they would sometimes), and I think anyone like that deserves to be recognized when it comes to coping with arthritis as well,’ she added
Donations close on 6th November and to do so readers can visit: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/natalieandsarahmccormack.
Balbriggan Meals on Wheels has lots going on at the moment and is looking forward to the support of our local community with a number of events they are hosting.
Annual General Meeting
All members of the local community are invited to the AGM of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels which will be held on Wednesday 25th November at 7.00pm at 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan K32 P793. Please come along and learn more about this important community service and see how you can get involved.
Food Drives
Friday 13th & Saturday 14th November: Food Drive in Moriarty’s Supervalu
Friday 20th & Sat 21st November: Food Drive in Millfield Shopping Centre
Christmas Fair
Saturday 28th November: Christmas Fair at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street from 12 noon – 2.00pm
Donate
If you wish to make an online donation to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, you can do so by copying the following link into your browser: https://www.idonate.ie/cause/BalbrigganMealsonWheels or by scanning the QR code.
Fingal-born singer-songwriter and producer Paul Redmond is bringing his original musical, The Promise Love Story, back to the stage in Balbriggan on Saturday, 24 October.
The special showcase concert takes place at The Lark Concert Hall at 8pm, following previous sold-out performances at The Helix in 2012 and Swords Castle in 2017.
The musical, inspired by five interconnected love stories set against a turbulent period of Irish history, explores love, loss, loyalty, secrets and forgiveness. It has been developed from its Fingal roots with ambitions for a major production during St Patrick’s Week 2027.
There is also an international element to the October event. The performance will be livestreamed, allowing Irish people and audiences around the world to experience the production. One of the original songs, Across Blue Waters, was inspired by the story of the Jeanie Johnston and Irish emigration across the Atlantic.
The creative team includes award-winning director Niamh McGowan, with musical direction from David Hayes, internationally recognised for his work with Riverdance, and Terry Merrick, co-musical director and founder of Origin Recording Studio.
Balbriggan-based banana distributor, Fyffes was twice on the winners’ podium at the National Parenting Product Awards gala ceremony held in Dublin recently when Bananas topped the list for Irish parents when it comes to choosing a snack food for their baby or toddler.
On foot of research conducted amongst parents and industry experts, first prize in both the ‘best baby / toddler snack’ and ‘best baby/toddler snack for on the go’ sections was awarded to the popular pre-packed bananas, ‘Freddy Fyffes’.
Creative Places Balbriggan has successfully awarded 11 artists to work with local Balbriggan community groups through a brand-new funding scheme.
Making Waves will contribute over €45,000 to 11 artistic programmes to be carried out involving artists collaborating with local community groups in Balbriggan between September 2026 and February 2027.
Mayor of Fingal Cllr. Tony Murphy said: “I greatly welcome the Making Waves funding for the community of Balbriggan. Being a local councillor here, I am fully aware of the vibrant arts community in Balbriggan, and this is a great opportunity to share creative skills with the wider community. This seed funding will help stimulate more involvement in the arts and more accessibility to creative activities locally with the support of the Fingal Arts Office and the Creative Places Balbriggan Coordinator. My congratulations to the 11 artists who made the successful application and the community groups involved and I look forward to seeing what their collaborations will inspire and produce in the coming months.”
Creative Places Balbriggan is an Arts Council funded project coordinated by Fingal Arts Office. Its main aim is to connect with people, artists and places to allow ideas to develop into creative actions that are community-led and socially engaged. Under The Creative Places Balbriggan Strategy 2026-2027, the project has three main priority work pillars – Creative Youth, Creative Industry and Climate Action. The project is based for 3 years in Balbriggan, from 2025- 2027, with scope to develop in further 2-year cycles.
The Making Waves programmes will be officially launched at a public event as part of Culture Night on September 18 at Ardgillan Castle.
For further information, please see: Creative Places Balbriggan | Fingal County Council
It’s been another busy few months for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs and also a few months of fun filled with plenty of celebrations for our branch. With the final event of the summer culminating with continued celebrations of the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blinds 50th birthday and also a milestone birthday for our very own, Tom O’Neill in O’Dwyer’s GAA club, Balbriggan. As I’m sure plenty of you know, Tom and his late wife Breege founded the Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs back in 1987 after Tom received his first guide dog, Frank and immediately noticed the positive quality of life Frank provided him. Inspired by his newfound confidence, Tom and Breege started with small group walks to fundraise and the community of the branch grew and grew and has lead to nearly four decades of community fundraising and over €5 million raised for the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. The tentacles of the fundraising in Balbriggan also resulted in the setting up of the Tuam Branch by Toms sister Mary Byrne, who raises about €20,000 annually and the foundation of the Cavan Branch by the late Brid McEvoy and Patricia Hannick in 2018, raising up to €10,000 annually.
In 1995 the branch name changed to include ‘North County Dublin’ as no one was raising money in Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Oldtown or Garristown and now the branch also fundraises in Duleek, Stamullen and Ardcath, Co. Meath all thanks to the late Francis Wall of Duleek, who met Fred, another Guide Dog and brother of Toms first guide dog, Frank, when Fred went to live in Duleek in 1985 with his late owner Gerry Healy.
Tom and the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of guide dogs continues to be a very active Branch and as determined as ever to keep up the work. We want to wish Tom O’Neill a very happy belated birthday and thank him for everything he has done for the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs.
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan
Branch of Guide Dogs.
If you had wandered into the Dublin Convention Centre on the second weekend of August, you would have found yourself in a world where fantasy and reality blur. Stormtroopers patrolled the corridors, Jedi knights crossed paths with medieval warriors, and superheroes queued for coffee alongside Victorian ghosts and Prussian generals.
This was Dublin Comic Con, Ireland’s largest pop culture event, which brought in over 20,000 visitors over the weekend of 8–9 August. For fans of comics, movies and video games, it was a sanctuary where dressing up isn’t just accepted but highly encouraged.
Among the cosplayers and costumed characters was an unexpected group from Balbriggan. Takemusu Aikido Society made its Comic Con debut this year, with a demonstration area and a table set-up where the group could meet visitors, talk about Aikido and introduce people to their martial art.
For many attendees, the demonstrations were their first encounter with Aikido, a Japanese martial art focused on blending with an opponent’s attack instead of meeting force with force. Takemusu Aikido Society presented different aspects of its weapons practice, including sword and staff, alongside empty-handed techniques, showing how these forms of training connect into a single, unified system.
What made the demonstrations special was that beginners had the opportunity to show some of the first techniques they learned. This gave visitors a chance to see that Aikido training begins not with impressive skills, but with simple movements gradually developed through practice. Takemusu Aikido Society sent an important message: no one needed to feel intimidated by flashy instructors’ displays. Instead, everyone could see a clear progression from novice to mastery through consistent practice, depending not on natural ability but on effort invested.
The club’s presence at Dublin Comic Con was like opening a door into a welcoming community. Aikido can seem mysterious from the outside, but by showing students at different stages of training, the group demonstrated that martial arts are accessible to everyone, no matter their age or experience. Visitors could see that they too could start as beginners and, with time and practice, develop real skill.
The weekend delivered plenty of unexpected moments too. Our instructor suddenly found himself in a friendly battle against a Jedi warrior who, much to the amusement of onlookers, was dispatched with remarkable efficiency. A Cyborg Ninja and Michael Jackson stopped to watch the action, clearly impressed but keeping their distance.
But the best part of the weekend was the sense of connection. Visitors stayed after the demonstrations to ask questions about both the techniques and the ideas behind them. Several people expressed genuine interest in attending classes. Strangers became friends over shared curiosity, and conversations sparked between people who otherwise would never have met.
By the end of the weekend, the group had shared their passion with hundreds of visitors and proven that a martial art founded on harmony can fit right in, even among the chaos of costumed characters and fantasy heroes.
Visit www.aiki.ie for full details about Takemusu Aikido Society. New members of all levels and ages are always welcome.
Tom O’Neill of the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs, got his first Guide Dog, Frank in 1985 and is currently on his seventh guide dog, Qeb. Tom speaks of the freedom, mobility and confidence he gets from having a guide dog and the ability to meet so many people through having a guide dog, the positive image that is shown to the world and the freedom it allows him to get out and about, be involved and to do something extremely positive with his life and within the community.
Tom met his late wife, Breege in Sligo when they were both doing a course designed to help visually impaired people adjust their lives due to vision loss or impairment. In June 2021, Tom lost Breege to cancer and his then dog, Gatsby, passed away in the middle of losing Breege, also due to cancer. The dog Tom currently has, Qeb, is the last dog Breege ever trained with. In Longford, where Breege is laid to rest, Qeb allows Tom the ability to walk twenty minutes up to the graveyard and sit and reminisce at the gravestone to think about the 40 plus years they shared together, all thanks to the dog they would one day go on to share and grant them both independence.
Given the importance of a guide dog in their lives and the lives of others, Tom and Breege left a legacy donation to the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind in their wills. Did you know that 1 in 3 guide dogs are supported by legacy donations from being left in a persons will. If you are looking for a noble and lifechanging way to support the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, why not leave a legacy donation in your will and help give independence and change lives.
Please see link below to video of Tom O’Neill speaking about leaving a donation in your will:
https://www.guidedogs.ie/how-you-can-help/ways-to-donate
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text
0876489479, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan
Branch of Guide Dogs.