Ardgillan College’s senior girls rugby team reached the final of the Leinster Senior Cup in March 2023 but sadly were narrowly defeated by Newbridge College. Not only did they play brilliantly however, they have also managed to qualify for the All Ireland rugby 7’s Championship which is something to look forward to. The Junior and Senior boys rugby teams won their respective Fingal Cups in two thrilling games vs Malahide CS just before Easter Break. They delighted in bringing the two trophies back to the college to show Principal Ní Mhurchu who congratulated both teams. Everyone at the college is immensely proud of the students. A huge thanks to their school rugby coaches Mr. Goodman and Mr. Conoulty and their local rugby club in Balbriggan for all their support.

Would you have an hour to spare on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning? If you would like to help out Balbriggan Meals on Wheels as a Volunteer Driver, please get in touch by calling 01 8416743 or emailing mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com. Further details about Balbriggan Meals on Wheels can be found on our promotional video which can be viewed on our Facebook page facebook.com/balbriggan.mealsonwheels/. We would like to acknowledge the support of Fingal County Council in providing funding for this video. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels has been providing meals to the most vulnerable members of our community since 1975.

Balbriggan’s innate charm and the stunning beauty of the surrounding area is proving a hit with film and television producers. Already this year, another feature film, ‘Kathleen’ has been recording scenes in the area. The Catch, available on Virgin Media’s Player, is a tense, four-part psychological thriller starring Jason Watkins, Poppy Gilbert and Aneurin Barnard. Already aired on Channel 5 in the UK, The Catch was filmed in and around Balbriggan in the summer of 2022, despite being set in the south west of England. And it is just one of over 20 film, television and music video productions made in Balbriggan since 2019. Scenes from ‘The Green Knight’ an 2021, an acclaimed epic medieval fantasy film, starring Dev Patel, which grossed over $19 million, were filmed in the area in 2020. Other highlights have included ‘Operation Transformation’ which recorded at Bremore Castle in 2019. It was the first time the show recorded a regional template which proved so successful that the programme has moved around the country since. A two-time Emmy Award winner, who is spearheading an initiative to turn the north County Dublin town into one of the country’s leading centres for the arts, says Balbriggan has unlimited potential as a location for film and television. Former TV producer, US native Eamonn Donlyn, now settled with his family in Balbriggan, is working with local stakeholders to help grow the arts in the town. The one-time ESPN/Disney and CBS executive is developing a creative arts strategy for Balbriggan in collaboration with the Our Balbriggan Rejuvenation programme led by Fingal County Council’s Economic, Enterprise, Cultural and Tourism Department. “Balbriggan offers everything a film or television producer could want, from an urban streetscape to the majestic beauty of its coastline, countryside and ancient monuments, as well as all the ancillary services required,” he said.

Two of the members of St Mary’s Baton Twirlers Dinah Black and Susan Mullen who were chosen by Fingal County Council to be part of the “Fingal She Leads Women’s Exhibition” as part of Fingal County Council celebrations 2023 International Women’s Day. Congratulations to Dinah Black and Susan Mullen who were both nominated to be part” Fingal She Leads Exhibition” which is an initiative of Fingal County Council celebrating Women in Community Action as part of International Women’s Day. A great celebration of the 45 women who were nominated with Mayor Howard O’Mahony in the Carnegie Court Hotel Swords at the launch of the Project.

The exhibition can currently be viewed at County Hall Swords and will go on tour to libraries around Fingal.#internationalwomensday #44years #SMBT.

Save the dates for our inaugural biodiversity festival (19th and 20th of May) called - Balbriggan: Our Nature. Bat walks, Nature walks, Dusk chorus, Art & Nature Photography exhibitions, Family Scavenger Hunt. Why not come along and Learn about the wildlife in our own locality? All events will take place in Millpond Park. (See poster for details) Also If you want to help us make a difference join us any Saturday @ 10.30am at Moylaragh playground or 11am on the main beach or join our garden group for mid week activities. We recently received a notification from Fingal County Council which may be of interest: Batteries contain precious mined metals such as Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Mercury, Lithium and Cadmium, and it’s really important to recycle them as part of a sustainable circular economy. You can recycle household batteries at all Fingal Libraries and Community Centres and at the two main offices County Hall Swords and Civic offices Blanchardstown. The recycling centres at Estuary Swords and Coolmine accept small household and larger batteries. ERP run this battery collection initiative with Barretstown, which is a not-for-profit camp for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. So why not recycle your batteries at the local Library.'

Hanging Basket Workshop with Aoife Munn - Tuesday 9thMay - 12-1pm Learn how to create different types of hanging baskets, including herb baskets that will last all year Booking is essential for this workshop, so please do contact the Library to book 01-8704401 or you can contact us by our email at our email address which is- balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie

The Birds of Fingal with Dr Frank Prendergast of Birdwatch Fingal Tuesday 16th May 11am. Fingal has a diverse set of habitats from farmland to coastal islands, parklands to urban sprawl. These therefore also provide a diverse range of birds from the garden Robin to rare Roseate Terns. The talk will explore Fingal’s habitats, wild bird sightings and sounds and what we can do to protect these for the future generations. Booking is essential for The Birds of Fingal so please do contact the Library to book 01-8704401 or why not email us at balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie

Caint Phoiblí - Researching your Family Tree - With Genealogist Claire Bradley - Saturday 20th May 11.30-12.30pm.This genealogy workshop will guide you through how to research your family history using any stories or records that you have . already, exploring the online resources available such as census, civil, church and burial records.The workshop will also include a demonstration of genealogy sites such as Findmypast, Familysearch and Irish News Archives Booking is most essential so please contact the Library to book 01-8704401 or book the workshop by emailing Balbriggan Library at balbrigganlibrary@fingal.ie
Regular Events weekly and monthly at Balbriggan Library - Grúpa Cniotála Knitting and Crochet club Every Monday 6.30pm All welcome but please note (Children must be accompanied by an adult) Scrabble - Every Monday 11-12.30 Grúpa Scríbhneoirí Turret Writers Group - Every Saturday 11.30-1pm Ukrainian Family GroupWe have moved our Ukrainian social group to Every Saturday Morning11-1pm - Club Leabhar Bookclub Wednesday 31st May 6-7pm New members are always really welcome Baby Bookclub - Wednesday 3rdMay 10.30am Storytime for pre-schoolers HSE Breastfeeding Support Group - With Jennifer from HSE - Every Thursday 11am - Warehouse Writer’s group - Every 2nd Friday - 5th and 19th May Contact the Library for more details - Always welcoming new members.

Congratulations to our U18 AB Girl’s team who won their Leinster League Final recently. What an incredible match between AB and Athy, two equally matched teams. This is the first League title for our girl’s section, and is the culmination of years of hard work and team building. Well done and Congratulations to all the team and coaches.

Blasters Cricket has started up again in Castlelands Community Centre !!!! Open to boys and girls aged 5-11. To Book your childs place please go to balbriggancricketclub.com/…/indoor…/…
Also our heartiest congratulations to our superb coach for his recent award from The Cricket Writers of Ireland who inducted our Senior Head Coach Andre Botha into the Cricket Ireland Hall of Fame, an amazing and well deserved honour for a true legend of Irish Cricket. Congrats Bothsy from all at The Brig

The students of Ardgillan College Balbriggan took to the stage on Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th of March to perform Footloose the Musical to a full house. The sold-out performances from talented and dedicated students wowed audiences made up of their friends, family, teachers and members of the local community. Students demonstrated their talents from singing, acting and dancing to set management, construction, painting and makeup that represented a real team effort on behalf of the school community. The cast was led by Jamie McGuffin Gresham, Tara-Rose O’Brien in 5th year and Alex Jackson from TY. A huge thank you to all of the staff who helped to put the show together.

This St Patrick’s Day in Balbriggan was a very special one for the town’s 35-strong brass and reed band, which bears the name of Ireland’s male patron saint. For St Patrick’s Brass and Reed Balbriggan Town Band, it marks the start of celebrations of its 140th anniversary, culminating in a gala concert in November. Founded in 1883, the band has taken part in every St Patrick’s Day Parade in the town since then. It was an emotional day for long-serving members, including band master Larry Dunne, Oboe and Clarinet player Damien Byrne and saxophonist Gary Tolan. Larry has been integral to the band since reviving its fortunes in the mid-1970s, while chairperson Damien, a native of Artane, where he was a member of the famous boys’ band, found a ready-made community when he moved to Balbriggan in 2003.But, in the late 1960s, numbers had dwindled and its instruments were put in the care of the town commissioners until Larry revived the band. Now, its make-up is representative of Balbriggan’s youth and cultural diversity, with a burgeoning beginners’ group and members and past members from across the globe. “When my wife Amelia, who plays trumpet, and I moved to Balbriggan we knew nobody until we joined the band after seeing it at the St Patrick’s Day Parade. Now, our daughters, Emily (12, clarinet) and Norah (9, trumpet), are in the beginner group, so we are basically replacing ourselves for down the line,” said Damien. According to Gary, the only language that should matter to any band is music. “We have had members from African countries, Italy, the Philippines, Spain and Ukraine. We are multi-cultural and integrational,” said Gary. Joining as a beginner will get you an instrument (if they have one spare) sheet-music and reeds all covered by €10 a-year membership and a €5 weekly subscription. Advancing years are no barrier to joining, members have been known to take up learning an instrument and playing with the band after retirement. The band meets each Wednesday night at the Cairde premises at the old St George’s School at Hampton Street, beginners from 7.00pm to 7.45, with band practice from 8.00pm to 9.30. There are thoughts of using another weekday or Saturday mornings to start another beginner group. It is on the lookout for a larger, more user-friendly base so if your interested we hope to see you soon!