Author and podcast host Georgie Crawford has teamed up with Specsavers Balbriggan to encourage budding authors to enter their nationwide short story competition.
The competition launched to help celebrate Specsavers’ sponsorship of the Junior and Senior Children’s Book of the Year categories at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2024.
As an author and a mum to two young children, Georgie is encouraging children to get involved in the competition.
“Parents and guardians, I urge you to encourage your children to dive in – you’ll be amazed by what they create. And who knows, they might just surprise themselves (and their school!) with a win,” she said.
The winner of the junior and senior category of the Specsavers short story competition will win €500 for their school library along with all the titles shortlisted in the Specsavers Irish Children’s Book of the Year categories at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2024.
Georgie’s top tips for writing a short story:
Believe in your story magic: You have stories bursting inside you, just waiting to be told! Trust your ideas, no matter how big or small, silly or serious. Let your imagination soar and don’t be afraid to explore the unknown corners of your creativity.
Write about what you love: What makes your heart sing? Is it a day at the beach, a video game adventure, a special friendship, or maybe a dream you once had? Turn your passions and real-life experiences into stories that will resonate with readers.
Fuel your imagination: Be a reading explorer! Journey through different kinds of books – funny comics, thrilling mysteries, magical fantasies. Discover what other authors do and ask, “What if?” to spark amazing story ideas of your own.
Make it exciting: Show, don’t tell! Instead of saying “The monster was scary,” describe its slimy scales, razor-sharp teeth, and bloodcurdling roar. Use all five senses to bring your story to life and don’t forget to add a problem or challenge for your character to overcome.
Writing tips: Start small – even a few sentences is a great start! Read your story aloud to yourself to see how it sounds. Don’t be afraid to ask grown-ups, teachers, or friends for feedback. And most importantly, don’t give up! Writing takes practice, but the more you write, the better you’ll become.
Most importantly, have fun! Writing should be an enjoyable adventure! Let your imagination run wild, embrace silliness and surprise, and savour the process of bringing your unique story to life.
To enter Specsavers’ competition simply create a short story, no longer than 500 words, inspired by the carnival picture.
“The carnival had come to town, a buzz of colour and noise. But there was one stall, tucked away in the corner, that was different. It was completely silent, and the sign above it read ‘See Your Dreams - One Euro Only’. I knew what to do…
Closing date for entries is Tuesday 7th January 2025. All entries should be posted to:
Specsavers Short Story Competition, c/o WHPR, 6 Ely Place, Dublin 2.
You can also pick up an entry form at your closest Specsavers store or submit online at www.specsavers.ie/irish-book-awards

Balbriggan & District Historical Society are delighted that our Pop-Up Museum will return on October 12th and 13th as part of the Fingal Festival of History. Thanks to everyone who called in to visit and discussed the exhibits, shared your stories, and those who donated artefacts for the display over the two weekends earlier this summer. We look forward to again displaying a small sample of the significant number of our historical Artefacts and photographs and videos which are of huge local and national interest. The exhibition will feature The People and Places of Balbriggan and topics featured will include the Linen & textile industry including Smyco, Harry Reynolds, Tommy Caffrey, Sinéad DeValera, Bremore Castle, and some of our extensive 1893 local Balbriggan photo collection.

The exhibition will take place in the Pop Up Museum space on the corner of Clonard St and Bridge St, beside Central Pub from 12 to 5pm each day. All are welcome and admission is free.

For information on the Fingal Festival of History see https://www.fingal.ie/news/launch-fingal-festival-history-2024-and-publication-fingal-studies-5

Hope to see you at the pop up museum, for further information see www.balbrigganhistory.com or email balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com

Balbriggan Locals will be delighted to hear that the newly planned creative hub took a significant step closer to reality with plans ready to go to tender.

The team behind #OurBalbriggan announced the news on the eve of this year’s Culture Night stating, “Here in #OurBalbriggan we celebrate another key milestone in the ‘Our Balbriggan’ rejuvenation programme, when planning permission was granted in October 2023 for a creative hub. We expect to go to tender shortly on the approved plans for works at 2-4 Dublin Street, and to commence work in 2025.
“The further development of Balbriggan as a nationally renowned destination for arts and culture is a key part of the Our Balbriggan rejuvenation programme, and the creative hub will be central to this,” the team added.

Don’t worry there were no judges and hand-cuffs, just a lovely group of people, who were present at The History of Balbriggan Courthouse talk delivered by Dr David Sorensen in the recently refurbished Courthouse in Balbriggan! The talk was also repeated for the public in Balbriggan Library on Culture Night, Friday 20th September.

Congratulations to Balbriggan Tidy Towns who were awarded three times at this year’s National Tidy Town awards that were recently held in Abbeyleix, Co Laois.

“Thrilled to receive our 3 awards, won at Tidy Towns 2023, from Minister Sean Fleming at a wonderful event in Abbeyleix tonight. This is lovely recognition of the great work our volunteers do particularly with our young people in Youthreach Balbriggan, Loreto Balbriggan and Gaisce - The President’s Award participants. Our Balbriggan - Get Involved,” reads a statement from the group.

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is holding it’s ever popular Christmas Fair on Saturday 30th November. This will be a great opportunity to get your Christmas shopping started whilst supporting a good cause!
In advance of the Christmas Fair, Balbriggan Meals on Wheels will be accepting donations of new, unused items that we can sell. So now might be the time to go through your cupboards and clear out any new unwanted gifts that you might have. Donations can be left to 14 Hampton Street, Monday to Saturday between 9am and 1pm.

All proceeds raised go towards the work of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels in our local community.

Local Volunteer with Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs, Dana Kelly discusses her experience of being a volunteer for the organisation, she says, ‘I’ve been volunteering with the Balbriggan/North County Dublin branch of Guide Dogs since June 2018, after my dog Gizmo passed away I wanted to do something in his name, I was putting it off out of nervousness and I came across the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind’s booth at Bloom, it felt like a sign. I signed up and shortly after I heard from the lovely Tom O’Neill who I met for the first time in October 2018. Himself and his guide dog Gatsby walked up to Dunnes Stores with me, where I was going to backpack for the day for the organisation. We were chatting away and I got to see the brilliant Gatsby at work. At Dunnes Stores I packed bags with other volunteers and although I’m terrible at bag packing, it was such a nice feeling greeting the general public and seeing the support for the charity. It was so rewarding finding out how much we raised a few days later. I knew it was something I wanted to continue to do and to this day, I love nothing more than getting out to a shop with the branch’s merchandise stand, meeting and greeting the public, hearing their stories about how the charity has helped them or even just hearing about their lives and pets, chatting to other volunteers and hearing how they met Tom, joined the organisation and haven’t looked back. It really is never a dull moment. I’ve met so many interesting and lovely people through the Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Guide Dogs and it truly is a joy to be a part of something that helps so many people. If like me, all those years ago, you are looking for a sign to volunteer, this is it.’
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.

You are invited to the AGM of Balbriggan Meals on Wheels which will be held on Thursday 19th September at 7.30pm in 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan K32 P793. The meeting is open to all members of the local community. Please come along and learn more about this important community service.

The Balbriggan Beach Festival organised by the Fingal County Council Sports Office took place on Sunday, 18 August and brought the community together for a vibrant day of beach sports, live performances, and family-friendly entertainment. Numerous local clubs showcased their activities and provided free taster sessions for festivalgoers. Among the stand-out presentations was a demonstration by the Takemusu Aikido Society, which captivated the public and photographers with an impressive and loud aikido performance.

Led by its head instructor Raman Bekarevich, the Takemusu Aikido Society delivered a series of dynamic martial arts demonstrations, featuring weapons practice and self-defense techniques. During breaks, the audience had the opportunity to interact with the instructors, ask questions, and even try out some basic aikido moves.

The festival attracted around 4,500 attendees, many of whom stopped to watch the Aikido demonstration. Local councillors also made their way to the club’s information booth, where junior members were actively distributing flyers and special discount offers to encourage new participants to join the club.

“Aikido is more than just self-defence – it’s a way to develop a strong body and big heart. It’s a lifelong journey towards building character and harmonizing the mind and body,” said Raman. “Our club warmly welcomes anyone interested in learning traditional Japanese martial arts, and we’re open to beginners.”
Takemusu Aikido Society, which has a long-standing presence in Balbriggan, offers regular classes for practitioners of all skill levels. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced martial artist, the club provides a supportive environment to explore the depth and discipline of Aikido. For more information, visit their website www.aiki.ie or contact them by email at info@aiki.ie.

Guide Dog owner and volunteer Jade McCormack attended the unique Zero Limits event in Co Kildare which took place on the 23rd and 24th July. It gave people who are blind/vision impaired the chance to drive.

Jade recounts her experience saying, “This is the fourth year and second year I have taken part. Zero Limits is an experience like no other for those who are blind/vision impaired, it gives them the opportunity to drive and get a front seat experience being driven around the track in a rally car by some of the country’s top drivers. It truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity and one that this year I hold close to my heart. Last year I lost my father suddenly and unexpectedly and it is from him that I know I get my love of fast cars and adventure from. Taking part in this year’s event was such a lovely way for me to remember dad and to do something I know he would have loved to be part of.”

“The day is divided into two parts,” Jade continued. “The first being the morning where those who are blind/vision impaired take the wheel and drive around the track with the help of an experienced driver. I had such a positive experience with the lovely navigator, Joe. I’m sure for Joe it was equally an experience as he was having to instruct someone who can’t see and hoping they will listen to what he is asking. For me this was such a thrill being able to get behind the wheel and do something most people take for granted. If I had to describe the feeling of driving a car while not being fully able to see it would be that of surreal. The freedom and joy I felt while driving was like nothing I have ever experienced before. After driving I had some lunch and was able to chat lots of people and soak up the atmosphere which was amazing. The event this year was launched by Dancing With the Stars Winner Jason Smith and his dance partner Karen Byrne who were extremely generous with their time and spoke to as many people as they could.”

Jade continued, “After lunch and chats the afternoon really revved up as around a dozen rally cars took to the track to bring some poor unexpecting passengers for a quick spin. When it was my turn to go down to the pit, the excitement I felt was palpable and my heart started to race as adrenaline started to flow as fast as the cars driving around the track. I donned the helmet and climbed into the car with the butterflies increasing in the pit of my stomach. I had a brief chat with the fantastic driver Cathal and assured him that I was neither nervous nor novice and had been in plenty of fast cars before. Off we took and I sat back and enjoyed the thrill of the engine revving and the turns being taken. As soon as it started, we were back at the pits and after a brief chat with some more people it was back on the bus and back home.”
You can contact Balbriggan/North County Dublin Branch of Irish Guide Dogs by phone/text 085 7663107, email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or find us on Facebook at Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.