Next talk - ‘The Story of Cricket in Fingal’

Balbriggan and District Historical Society are delighted to welcome you to another year of activities from the Society. Our first talk will take place on Wednesday March 29th at 8pm the Bracken Court Hotel. We are delighted to welcome Jim Bennett for a talk titled ‘The Story of Cricket in Fingal’, the subject of his recent book. Cricket is hugely popular in the North County and this tradition goes back to the 1820’s when it was played for entertainment at great houses, such as Ardgillan. Clubs including Balbriggan began to be founded later in the 19th century and Jim’s talk will tell this fascinating story with particular emphasis on Balbriggan. Jack Bennett is a native of Portlaoise and was educated at St Mary’s CBS Portlaoise and then attended St. Patrick’s Training College Drumcondra. His first teaching post was in Balbriggan but he spent the rest of his teaching career at St Colmcilles BNS Swords. He became Principal of the school in 1980 and retired in 2015. For many hears he has been involved in cricket administration in The Hills CC. Cricket Leinster, Cricket Ireland and in 2022 he was elected President of Cricket Leinster. We think this talk will be hugely popular.We will be collecting membership for 2023 on the night too. Membership is €15 individual, €20 family or €10 senior. That covers our 6 talks - March, April, May, August, September, October. But anyone can attend an individual talk for €5. For all information see balbrigganhistory.com or follow us on Social Media.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is delighted that our Pop-up-Shop is returning every Friday morning from Friday 24th March from 10am to 1pm.The Pop up Shop will be open at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan with plenty of bargains available.We will also be serving Teas and Coffees, so you can enjoy a cuppa after you browse for some bargains. At just €2 for a cuppa it’s the best bargain tea and coffee in town! We look forward to seeing you there. All money raised at the Pop up Shop goes towards Balbriggan Meals on Wheels work in our community.

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. Also we received this 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 (see the poster)

Blasters Cricket starts up again on the 5th of Feb in Castlelands Community Centre !!!! Open to boys and girls aged 5-11. The sessions will run for 8 weeks and it’s just €50 for 1 or €75 for 2 kids for the 8 weeks. To Book go to balbriggancricketclub.com

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is a local charity which has been serving the Balbriggan
community since its foundation in 1975.Balbriggan Meals on Wheels was established to provide meals for people who are ill, recovering from a serious illness, or for some reason are unable to provide meals for themselves. Balbriggan Meals Ltd still provides meals to the most vulnerable people in our community; they are people who are referred to us by Public Health Nurses and Social Workers. As well as cooking and delivering meals, we host a Dinner Club three mornings per week which provides an important social outlet to our clients. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is an essential voluntary service that requires all the support it can get. The organisation depends heavily on fundraising and donations. As such, we would like to express their gratitude to all the local companies, organisations, clubs, individuals etc who have given donations in recent times; all donations are very much appreciated. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels can be contacted at Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan. Tel : 01 8416743 Email: mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com. TO DONATE TO BALBRIGGAN MEALS ON WHEELS VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND CLICK THE DONATE BUTTON:facebook.com/balbriggan.mealsonwheels/

Balbriggan Tidy Towns, which saw a very impressive 12-point jump in last year’s adjudication, is launching its ‘Adopt-a-Patch’ initiative a community scheme aimed at further improving the area.. The Balbriggan SuperValu Tidy Towns adjudication report for 2022 praised the local committee for its work in improving the appearance of the town, its level of volunteerism, partnerships with other community groups and its commitment to biodiversity. Balbriggan Tidy Towns has now identified thirty-two locations where volunteers can ‘Adopt-a-Patch’ and take on the care of an open area. Tasks will include litter removal, dealing with graffiti, weeding, planting and other light works. Residents can sign-up when Balbriggan Tidy Towns Committee launches its ‘Adopt-a-Patch’ scheme at the local SuperValu on Saturday, January 21 and at Millfield Shopping Centre on Saturday February 11, between 1.00pm and 3.00pm on both days. “After our success in 2022 we hope existing volunteers will continue their wonderful work keeping Balbriggan litter free, but we would love to welcome new people through our Adopt-a-Patch scheme,” said Balbriggan Tidy Town Secretary, Terry O’Reilly. “Larger areas can be divided between a number of volunteers, or a group, and can be cleaned at a time which suits. “Gloves, bags and a picker can be provided, and Fingal County Council will collect bags from convenient points. “The scheme can work very successfully amongst individuals, families and groups adopting stretches of roadway, lanes, parts of the local beach, bottle banks and litter blackspots. “Those who would like to work differently can join our Saturday Clean Team, Gardening Group, Climate Club, Biodiversity Group or Arts Group. “It would be wonderful to continue Balbriggan’s great progress in the SuperValu Tidy Towns competition and further improve the local environment for all who live in or visit our beautiful seaside town.”Residents can also get in touch with the Balbriggan Tidy Towns Committee through balbriggantidytowns@gmail.com or through its Facebook page or Facebook Messenger. Its annual general meeting takes place in the Bracken Court Hotel on Thursday, February 16 at 7.30pm. Local residents wishing to become involved are welcome. Balbriggan Tidy Towns meet every Saturday at 11.00am on the Front Beach and all are welcome.

Balbriggan CC right-arm seam bowler Aadi Wankhade has been awarded the Cricket Leinster ‘Find a Fast Bowler’ award for 2022. It represents swift progress for Aadi who only made his first senior club appearance on 12th June last for Balbriggan CC. In addition to underage selection for Fingal, Leinster and Irish Cubs teams in 2022, Aadi is now playing regularly in Leinster Open Competitions and in a very motivational gesture, Aadi has been invited by his idol, the Irish cricketing star Josh Little, to train with him and the Leinster Lightning squad in April. Josh added -“Congratulations on your award Aadi. Very humbled that I am your favourite cricketer, and I would like to invite you to attend a Leinster Lightning training session in April, so I can present your Award but more importantly to bowl with you to learn how you won the Award this year”. Albert Harper (Balbriggan Cricket Club) was delighted to see Aadi’s progress recognised in this way -“Congratulations Aadi, I remember well the first time you came to club training and we could see what a special talent we had on our hands. We ask our Council and Local Councillors to once again stand with us this winter to see how we can create more opportunities for young cricketers like Aadi.”

Congratulations to former Glebe Player Hannah Healy, awarded tonight as WNL U17 player of the year. Hannah was also named U15 FAI International player of the year just two days ago.
Well done young lady, what an incredible achievement, very well deserved.

An inspirational young Balbriggan man has produced a fascinating anthology shining a spotlight on the town’s creative talent. Motivated by a desire to connect with other creative people, illustrator, designer and writer Matthew Kelly, 21, from Clonard Court, received funding from Fingal County Council’s Our Balbriggan Placemaking Fund for the publication ‘Dear Balbriggan.’ The anthology was launched at the Our Balbriggan Hub at Georges Square on Thursday, December 15, and is set to further boost Balbriggan’s growing reputation as a centre for the arts. The launch was attended by many of the artists and creatives featured in the anthology which will be available free to those in attendance. ‘Dear Balbriggan’ is a 144-page love letter to the creative heart of Balbriggan, featuring creative and feature writing, as well as poetry, art and illustration, photography, recipes and crafts. Matthew, who is deeply passionate about his home place and anxious to promote it in the best possible light, works with Thérapie Clinic, one of Europe’s leading medical aesthetic clinics, and has been commissioned for projects by Fingal County Council and the Mansion House. He has seen his work showcased several times in national print and digital publications, as well as at the Fingal Poetry Festival and in Mental Health Ireland’s Thrive campaign. He is currently working on his first book, ‘Porter Loves Cleo.’ Matthew, a past-pupil of Ardgillan College and former student at the National College of Art and Design, set out to create an anthology in the style of one of the world’s great magazines. “I wanted to produce something in the style of the New Yorker magazine with essays, fiction, illustrations, and poetry,” said Matthew. “And I know I am very lucky to do the work I do. So if I can do the right thing for my home place, why would I not do it? “I felt it could be a vehicle to connect with creative people in the area and highlight the artistic side of Balbriggan. “There is a lot of creative talent here, it is important to shine a spotlight on it and ‘Dear Balbriggan’ allowed me connect further with it.”

A very special Christmas Exhibition & Gift Fair event was held in Ardgillan Castle at the beginning of December. Our pictures courtesy of the wonderful Balbriggan based photographer Thaina Whelan depict the ladies in black of the marvellous Balbriggan Gospel Choir and the superb handiwork of the craftswoman and gift stall owner Anne Howard. Thank you very much Thaina and to view more of her photographs go to her website photosbythaina.com.