We were privileged to host the head of JKS Worldwide, Kagawa Shihan 9 th Dan JKS,recently for a training seminar. Over 10 hours, Kagawa Shihan gave masterful karate instruction in kihon, kata and kumite. Over 100 JKS members from across Ireland attended Applewood Community Centre to take part. The attendees ranged in age from 6 to over 60 years and Kagawa Shihan was mindful to cater to everyone who was training. We hope to have him visit next year again. It is great to offer our students the opportunity to train which such a high calibre karateka. Congratulations are in order for all the JKS Ireland students who completed their belt grading examination at the National Grading including those who took the Black Belt Dan grade under the watchful eye of Kagawa Shihan. All of these karateka were dedicated in their training to achieve their new grades through tough examinations. Regular training continues weekly in Applewood Community Centre. All classes are enjoying being back to a regular schedule after the long Easter break in April. The next event for members is the 3 rd JKS Inter Club Competition which will be held in Tyrrelstown in June. We hope to have some medal winners on the day. We take new members (Children, Young People & Adults) all through the year. Contact Dermot on 087-8073885 for details on how to join. Contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

By Ken Duffy

It’s that time of the year again when Swords Tidy Towns are very busy putting together their 2023 submission for the National Tidy Towns competition. The submission team which is led by our Sectary Teresa Cosgrave are in the process of putting their different sections together, this is by no means an easy task. When each member of the team completes their section, they forward it on to Teresa for final proofing. It is Teresa’s job to put what she has been sent into an acceptable winning submission which we hope will produce a Gold Medal this year, or at least another Silver Medal. I would like to extend a massive thank you to our hard-working submission team who do so much are: Teresa Cosgrave, Grace Dunne, Rose Brennan, Ramune Kuzminiene, Melanie Van Der Linde, Noel Cosgrave, George Mongey and Billy Mc Clean.We would ask the public to be very vigilant litter wise especially during the months of June, July and August as this is when the judging takes place, no specific dates are given as to when they will visit our town so we must be constantly be on our toes. Swords has been under attack of late by indiscriminate tagging, one individual appears to have no respect for anyone’s work, who goes by the tag name ASTA, if anyone knows who this individual is, please ask them to stop what they are doing. Swords Tidy Towns volunteers give up their free time each week to make Swords a better place for us all to live, while some individuals give up their free time to make Swords a worse place for us all to live. Any help with the resolving this matter would be sincerely and gratefully appreciated by our hard-working tidy towns volunteers. If you would like to get involved with the Tidy Towns team just turn up on the day and introduce yourself, we meet each Saturday in the Colourtrend car park opposite the Garda Station, look forward to seeing you there. You can also make contact by email at swordstidytowns@gmail.com or by calling Ken on 0866008313.

Swords Meals on Wheels were recently delighted to receive an extremely generous donation of €1000.00 from Swords Lions. We do have a long and excellent relationship with Swords Lions and appreciate this help. This will go a long way to cover our ongoing day to day expenses and allow us to concentrate on our core activity to meet increasing demand for our services in the greater Swords area. We remain fully committed to ensuring that no one has to pay for our services, donations like this allow us to maintain this commitment.

Malahide United were very pleased to become involved in hosting a recent round of Special Olympics Eastern Region league matches on Sat 15th April between 2pm and 5pm. The club hosted 20 teams (200 players) from Division 1, 2,3,4 and 5 including our own Malahide United Football For All team. It was a great day out for the players who really enjoyed competitive football. A good sized crowd dropped along to support the event. Remember if you know anyone who may be interested in joining our team please contact on Steve 087 1950892.

Well done to the 2014 girls who finally had their first under-9 football matches against Skerries and Binn Eadair recently.. A massive thanks to Syl’s players Kate Sullivan, Sinead Aherne, Niamh McEvoy, Clodagh Fox, Danielle Lawless, Mia Roche, Sarah O’Donnell and Kate O’Toole who gave the girls some fantastic training sessions in the run-up to the games.

Syls Cycling Club Malahide is delighted to conclude the third year of the immensely popular Couch to 50k programme with close to twenty new members. The cyclists significantly improved their confidence on the bike and also learned about topics such as bike maintenance, nutrition, safety, gearing and group cycling techniques over the six weeks.Participant feedback was excellent, with some examples included here. One person said, “The couch to 50k is a brilliant way to get into cycling. I wish I had joined something like this years ago! There is a great social aspect to group cycling and everyone is really supportive no matter what your level. I would have never had the confidence to take on much of a road cycle, but the programme and club have helped me gain that through the mix of group cycles around north county Dublin and the very informative classes”. Another said, “I joined Syls Cycling Club after persuading a friend to join the year before, and she raved about it. I joined the 6-week course -couch to 50k. Well, all I can say is it is brilliant. The leaders made sure everyone was kept together and a steady speed - no one ever got left behind”. “It really makes cycling longer distances so much more achievable for all, and it is amazing how far you can go when you have company. One of the highlights was stopping at the many lovely coffee shops in North County Dublin that I never knew existed!” Another added, “A friend recommended The ‘Couch to 50km’ program offered by Syls Cycling Club, and I thought that this was the perfect place to rekindle my interest in cycling. From Day 1, I knew that I had made a great choice.” The class of 2023, have now merged into regular club spins and many are setting new goals. The Club offers spins on Wednesday evenings, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Some of the Couch to 50 class of 2023 are also targeting participation in various sportives around Ireland. Syls CC membership is open for cyclists of all levels, and the club will run a fourth version of the programme in Spring 2024.

A great occasion was held recently with the official opening of our refurbished local history museum at the Steward’s House, Malahide Castle. Over 100 members and friends of Malahide Historical Society turned out to see Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and local lad, Darragh O’Brien, T.D. unveil a plaque in the presence of the Mayor of Fingal Howard Mahoby and the CEO of Fingal County Council Anne-Marie Farrelly. In a speech, Malahide Historical Society President Paddy Ryan thanked the committee and Minister O’Brien and Councillor Eoghan O’Brien for their support for the project and the management and staff in Fingal County Council without whose unstinting support the project would never have got across the line. The museum is now open on weekend afternoons and will soon open from Tuesday through to Sunday and admission is free. Our Pictures show the event as well as the Steward’s House in the 1960s with members of the Raeburn and O’Neill families who lived there when the estate was still owned by Lord Milo Talbot.

Join us in Malahide Castle and Gardens on the 6th of May for this year’s Darkness into Light Malahide 5k. Get involved with your friends or family, take some photos, raise awareness and come together. Why we walk…well why not join us for the most important sunrise of the year?…Every community in Ireland has been impacted by the devastating affects of suicide. Each year the walk provides an opportunity to bring Hope to people who are suffering from self-harm or in suicidal crisis. Darkness into Light is the flagship fundraiser to provide FREE counselling and support services to those who need it. Your support will help save lives and ensure no one faces their darkest moments alone. €24 will help our caring therapists answer two more calls to our helpline. €45 will fund a crisis counselling session between scheduled sessions. €100 will fund the first session of a dedicated therapy session.€252 will help our caring therapists answer twenty-one more calls to our helpline. To date, our community has raised over €900,000 in support of those in crisis suffering from self-harm and suicide, in 2023 help us Make It A Million! Thank you so much for your support. Learn more or donate at pieta.ie/

This month we acknowledge the marvellous achievements of present and former Malahide Sea who have been recognised for their excellent Seamanship. Firstly we say a huge congratulations to our Boatmaster Colum McCaffrey on winning the Irish Sailing Volunteer Scouts of the Year Award for 2022. Well done Colum and thanks for all your hard work with the Sea Scouts. Secondly we congratulate our own Cadet Oran O’Hirile who recently won the Capt. Cian Timmons Memorial Award in the Rover Scouts Category as part of the Sea Scouting - Ireland Annual Master Mariner Competition. Cadet O’Hirile joined the Naval Service as Cadet in September 2021 and is still an active member of Malahide Sea Scouts as he progresses through his The Irish Naval Cadetship. Congratulatin and best wishes to you Oran in your future career at Sea. For those who may be interested The Naval Competition is open – so why not visit it and apply now before the applications close : for more information go to military.ie/en/careers/current-competitions/

The Parents Association of Malahide Community School are holding their annual Plant Sale on the first weekend in May. The times are as follows: • Friday 5th - 3pm to 6pm - • Saturday 6th - 10am to 5.30pm & • Sunday 7th - 11am to 3pm. It will take place in the school canteen and there will be lots of colourful flowers, window boxes, hanging baskets and more for sale. Everyone is welcome so please come along and support this fundraising event. All profits will be spent by the Parents Association to improve the school facilities and support the students in various ways. We hope to see you there.