The Hello, How Are You, mental health awareness event took place in Balbriggan on 7th April. Hello, How Are You is a new mental health promotion campaign by Mental Health Ireland.
The campaign asks individuals, communities, workplaces, friends & family to say ‘Hello’ and ask the question ‘How Are You?’ in a meaningful way! The campaign is about tackling the lack of connection or belonging that people experience. It aims to inspire people to ask how others are feeling, opening up a conversation to allow people to listen and encourage action by directing people to any local supports and services in their area.
Balbriggan is unique in being the only town in Ireland with its own Thrive organisation and our very own ‘Thrive Balbriggan’.
During the event, representatives from the Thrive Balbriggan committee were at numerous different locations throughout Balbriggan meeting with the public at places.
During the day there was singing in the square at Ardgillan Community College and the Mayor was also present to mark the day and say a few words.
Check out the Hello How Are You website for more information and further resources. https://hellohowareyou.info
Skerries €109,709
Currachaí na Sceirí Boat Trailer, Racks, Safety Equipment and Currach Rowing €24,124
Skerries Sea Scouts New canoes, boats & equipment. Canoeing / Kayaking €41,985
Mourne Celtic Football Club Sports Battery Power all weather lighting kit Soccer €7,600
Man O’War GFC New Mower Gaelic Games €36,000
Balbriggan €133,832
Balbriggan Table Tennis Club Replacement Table Tennis Tables Table Tennis €3,000
Fingal Rowing Club Coastal Rowing Equipment Rowing €29,450
Balbriggan & Skerries Angling Club Improve facility/grow membership. €8,225
Balrothery Football Club Sports Equipment Soccer €23,583
North County Cricket Club Ltd Roller & Cricket equipment Cricket €69,574
Lusk Rush €44,458
Lusk Ravens Basketball Club Electronic Scoreboard Basketball €4,458
Rush Cricket Club Rush Cricket Club outfield mower Cricket €40,000
The announcement that 11 sporting clubs in Dublin Fingal West will receive €288,000 in Lotto Equipment Sporting Grants has been warmly welcomed by all clubs involved.
The funding is part of a package of over €26m has been approved in equipment grants to 900 sporting organisations nationwide, the largest-ever funding for sports equipment under the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme.
The financial assistance will be of practical benefit to the 11 clubs, their members and athletes in the Dublin Fingal West Constituency said Cllr Tom O’Leary.
“I have lobbied the Department of Finance to substantially revise upwards the allocations under the National Development Plan for sports grants. We need to address the growing need for sports facilities as we are set to build 50,000 new Homes per annum Ireland and Fingal. In my opinion the fund needs to double or grow 100% to meet demand for new and upgraded sports facilities for our young vibrant population,” he said.
The 2023 Programme has generated 3,210 applications and total funding applied for is €359 million representing an 80% increase over the amount applied for in the 2020.
“The voluntary work done by club members needs to be supported by an increase in funding to this sector particularly in a year when we will celebrate Irish Athletes competing in the Olympics in France,” Cllr O’Leary added.
Work will now commence on assessing the “Capital” (all weather pitches, clubhouses etc…) and applications with the allocations to be announced later this year.
Balbriggan Meals on Wheels will be holding a bucket collection at various locations in Balbriggan on the weekend of Friday 14th to Sunday 16th June. Please give generously when you meet their collectors. Please note all official collectors will hold the relevant permit. All money donated goes towards Balbriggan Meals on Wheels work in our community. 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.
Balbriggan Meals on Wheels has been providing meals to the most vulnerable members of our community since 1975 and was awarded the Community Heros of the Year Award at the 2023 Balbriggan Town Awards.
An exciting milestone in the €50million Balbriggan Regeneration project has been reached, with the appointment of a design team to redevelop the De Bruns site.
Fingal County Council has appointed Dublin-based architects McCullough Mulvin to lead the multi-disciplinary Integrated Design Team (IDT) for the transformation of 6a-14 Bridge Street.
The Integrated Design Team model, which employs local stakeholder engagement to progress plans, has already been successfully deployed on other ‘Our Balbriggan’ projects, including the Quay Street and Harbour development and creative hub at 2-4 Dublin Street.
Fingal County Council has proposed that the 10,000 square metre site be used as a mix of commercial, community and residential development, with the River Bracken at its heart.
The plan is to link Millpond Park to a new park entrance at 14 Bridge Street to facilitate a pedestrian and cyclist route down to the transformed Quay Street and Harbour area.
Building facades on Bridge Street are to be maintained to preserve the existing street line as De Bruns is located in an Architectural Conservation Area while the biodiversity, environmental, archaeological and ecological impact of the development will also be keenly assessed. Demolition work has already taken place adjacent to and at the rear of the De Bruns site.
According to Dr David Begg, Chairperson of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, the process will be marked by intensive engagement. “There will be significant and intensive consultation and engagement through workshops and meetings with a wide range of local stakeholders,” he said.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Adrian Henchy, said when complete, the development will provide a new main street experience for Balbriggan. “It will prove a focal point for economic, social and leisure opportunities in the town,” he said.
It is envisaged planning permission for the redevelopment of the De Bruns site will be sought in 2025, with the project completed in 2028.
Every year the month of May brings fun and exciting fundraisers for the arrival of Guide Dog Day. In the lead up to this year’s Guide Dog Day, which fell on 24th May, Balbriggan/North County Dublin Guide Dogs branch member Tom O’Neill and Guide Dog Qeb attended the final of the blind soccer tournament organised in Swords Community College to fundraise after Tom and Qeb gave a talk to the transition year students.
The teams were made up of boys and girls, along with teachers who were all blindfolded when the games went on and used a ball that had a bell in it.
“We want to thank Vision Sports Ireland for supplying the footballs. A great afternoon was had and awareness for blindness and guide dogs was raised. We also want to give a special thanks to teachers Katie and Sarah who coordinated the talk and fundraiser,” a spokesperson for the branch said.
The branch were busy fundraising outside Tesco in Millfield Shopping Centre Balbriggan for Guide Dog Day on Friday 24th May and they will be there once again on Saturday 25th
“A big thank you to everyone who came and said hello and supported us. If you missed us, not to worry, as our Branch will be attending Balbriggan Summerfest this year, held in Bremore Castle and grounds over the June Bank holiday weekend. If you would like to support us or potentially meet some of our wonderful Guide Dogs come along and say hello! Hopefully the sun will be shining. Keep an eye on our social media pages for more information on dates and times,” the spokesperson added.
If you are interested in volunteering with us please feel free to contact us at Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Phone/text: 085-7663107; Email: guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs
Hosting the Leinster Rugby Women’s Finals Day was a huge undertaking for our club. A lot of work went on behind the scenes to ensure that the day would be the success that it deserved to be, showcasing women in sport and what community clubs do best.
The event would not have been possible without the support and assistance of Cllr Tony Murphy who helped secure funding from Fingal County Council and Our Balbriggan for the event. Thanks also to Breffni O’Rourke of Our Balbriggan and Gerry Reardon of Fingal Sports Office for their support of this major event. The day epitomised that when clubs and community come together, we can achieve great things. Thank you to our neighbours North County Cricket Club for the use of their dressing rooms to help facilitate the 12 teams taking part in Leinster Women’s Finals Day. North County Cricket Club could not have been more helpful to us. Thank you to Marc Hynes at Java the Hut Artisan Coffee Roasters who went to great effort to set us up with an outdoor coffee dock. Marc and his team were also busy preparing for the London Coffee Festival, which they attended at the weekend. Well done Marc and the Java the Hut team. Thank you to Donogh McGowan at Gerrard L.McGowan Solicitors who put in a lot of hours in helping us to secure the one day licence for the bar. A big thank you as well to the Moriarty family and The Bracken Court Hotel for their support of the Leinster Rugby Women’s Finals Day at Balbriggan RFC. The Moriarty family and the Bracken Court Hotel have helped Balbriggan RFC as well as other clubs in our Community for many years. Without their support, Sunday’s festival of rugby at Balbriggan RFC could not have happened. They pulled out all the stops ensuring that the bar on the day and catering for all the teams was run in the most professional manner. Thank you from everyone at Balbriggan RFC. All of these things coming together helped the day run smoothly and successfully.
Balbriggan Roadrunners will be hosting the 9th annual event as part of the Balbriggan Summerfest 2024. The 5km run/walk is open to participants of all abilities and takes place along a scenic coastal route. This is known for fine after-food refreshments & hospitality. Individual €15 Family of 4: €40 (children u16) Group entry 20 or more €12.50 per person Contact Support@myrunresults.com All participants will receive a finishers medal Children should not be on scooters, roller skates or bikes when participating in the event.
I got my first Guide Dog Frank in 1985, the branch was founded about 1987. Our children went to St Molaga’s N.S. Balbriggan. My son’s teacher Mrs Hassett asked me to come into the school to chat to the children about what it means to have a Guide Dog. I had only done one school talk before that, and it was in St. Georges N.S. Balbriggan. I have done many talks in the intervening years. I believe they have achieved a few good things; In my hometown of Balbriggan the now adults speak very comfortably to me and easily approach and help me in a shop or on the street when it’s needed.
Another part of my life was my involvement in the Irish Rail Disability Users’ group where several of us with different disabilities were asked for suggestions to improve things on the railway system. I had two things I wanted, and one was to have all train stops announced on the trains. The other was to encourage Irish Rail to form a Customer Service desk at their two main stations, Heuston and Connolly. This is now available throughout the network for everybody but it is not perfect by any means. For myself with a Guide Dog I go to my local station Balbriggan and I ask the staff there to ring Connolly and ask a member of the Customer Service team there to meet me as I am transferring to the Sligo train that also goes out of Connolly. Recently I did this and as I got off on the platform in Connolly I heard, “It is Tom I can’t believe it” he was a member of the Customer Service team, he told me that last time he met me he was 8 years of age, and he was in Stamullen N.S. Co Meath when I was in with my Guide Dog giving a talk. Some 30 years later he was in the station in Connolly when a call came in to meet a Tom from Balbriggan with a Guide Dog. He said to himself “Could it be that Tom from all those years back?” It was and he was so comfortable chatting with me and guiding me that I am certain those talks achieved their aim to make a person feel comfortable with a person who is visually impaired and has a Guide Dog. If you are interested in volunteering with us please feel free to contact us: Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Phone/text: 085 7663107 or you can always contact us at
Email: guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com or indeed you may contact us on our facebook page
Find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs
Fianna Fáil’s Sinéad Lucey Brennan, a first-time candidate in the Balbriggan LEA for the forthcoming local elections on 7 June, has welcomed the news of €110,000 being allocated to the Balrothery Tower House by her party colleague Minister Darragh O’Brien under the Community Monuments Fund 2024. The Community Monuments Fund invests in archaeological heritage and helps owners and custodians of archaeological monuments to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of communities and the public.Commenting, she added “I’m delighted to welcome the funding for Balrothery Tower House, it is very much needed. Additionally, the Church Tower is one of seven protected National Monuments. It is proposed to make the necessary conservation works to improve the impact of the weather on the building and extend its lifetime for generations to come. I want to commend the Balrothery Community Association for their tireless work over the last number of years to keep this on the agenda and I’m committed to supporting them as we progress to make further improvements to the Tower House, Church Tower and Heritage Centre among other amenities in Balrothery such as a proposed route from the village to Ardgillan Park”. Recently, on Friday 12 April, along with Minister O’Brien, she visited Balrothery National School to view the new school extension. Commenting, she said “It is a credit to the pupils and their families, and all the hardworking and committed staff who have put years of toil into this project. They worked very hard with Minister Norma Foley (FF), it’s looking brilliant and I’m really excited to see its completion later this year. It will be a fantastic facility for everyone.
