CASA is planning its upcoming Pilgrimage to Lourdes for approximately 50 of our members. It has become apparent that we will require a piece of equipment called a Sara Steady Standing Aid. The cost is approximately €1,800 and we would be very grateful if we could receive sponsorship to purchase this item. If you feel you could help or know of a company that might support us, please contact Zoë on 087 126 0975. Thank you very much.

The local Malahide Pipe Band is planning to start an Autumn schedule of music lessons, for anyone interested in learning to play the Bagpipes or Drums. The aim is to encourage young people to learn either instrument, who can then play and support local events. Beginners welcome. The music lessons will have a relaxed, inclusive and enjoyable format. To find out more, just email the Band at malahidepipeband@gmail.com for more information. The Band will be happy to answer any questions you may have. The Band was established in the 1950’s. The objective is to maintain the musical tradition in Malahide into the future. If you would like to take part, just email for more details.

Malahide Lawn Tennis junior member, Killian Burke, is gearing up for an incredible adventure later this year. He will be participating in the great Ethiopian run! But that’s not all - Alongside the run, he will be raising funds for Orbis Ireland, a remarkable foundation that provides sight-saving surgery for individuals in the underprivileged southern community of Ethiopia. This is truly admirable for Killian to be doing this during his Transition year in school. Let’s rally together and show our support for Killian by helping him raise the necessary funds. Every contribution, big or small, will make a significant difference in the lives of those in need. Let’s join forces and make a positive impact together! Please use this to contribute orbisirl.enthuse.com/pf/killian-burke

We, staff and students at St Marys Baldoyle were absolutely delighted with our Leaving Cert results this year. Although the results were available online at 10 am on the day, most students and some parents chose to drop down to the school to collect their results. All were met by Dr. Edel Greene, Principal and Mr. John Moore, Deputy Principal. They were all given an envelope with their results to open in school or elsewhere. Envelopes were opened with great anxiety and trepidation. However, once opened, there was great excitement. All were delighted with their results and shouts and tears of joy were common. The customary photograph was then taken. We have dedicated webpages for photos of each Leaving Certificate year. Many had to go around the school to meet their teachers, discuss their results and talk about the next stage of the career – college, plc, work, apprenticeships and travel. The teachers were all as equally happy as there is nothing better than when a student calls to your classroom and displays great delight with their results. It is also a great incentive for those in the classroom as they experience and can actually see the joys of doing well and the rewards that it can bring. It is a great time to re-iterate to your class the need to work hard, study and revise, particularly if you have Fifth or Sixth Years, so that they can end up getting results that they will be proud of. The point calculators later came out as they worked out their CAO point totals and looked at last year’s point requirements for the various courses. Some met or made appointments with the Guidance Counsellor to examine options now on offer and now that CAO preferences were being realised and anew focus was emerging. The newly crowned Sixth Years were given plenty of food for thought as they begin their journey towards the Leaving Cert of 2024. The Class of 2023 had certainly left their mark and as all former students they will always be welcome back to St. Mary’s.

What a wonderful organisation Malahide Lions Club truly is with their presentations and fundraising of monies to help other local charities, sporting groups and community organisations. Our pic show the recent presentation of a cheque to CASA from Malahide Lions, which was the proceeds from their recent Quiz. A great night was had by all. Let’s do it all again next year! Well done to all involved.

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend at the many ParkRun Ireland locations in Fingal County Council! Lace up your running shoes or take a leisurely stroll with our amazing Walk at Parkrun participants. No matter your pace, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Register now at //parkrun.ie and be part of the action-packed fitness event supported by Sport Ireland. Join our vibrant community and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for an active lifestyle. Get inspired, make new friends, and conquer personal milestones together. Don’t miss out on the excitement!

While our short break is finished, in the background Junsa has been planning our upcoming training sessions and competition calendar for the new season. We are also in preparation for taking on new students of all ages. At Junsa we have specific classes for different age groups of all abilities, from the 5 - to 50 year olds who want something new for fitness, discipline ,to become a black belt or to compete at local or international level Junsa Taekwondo can cater for everyone . If you are interested in an Olympic sport or marital art please contact Stuart on 087 7775202 or on Facebook Junsa Taekwondo.

Our juveniles returned to training in September and the club hosted the first juvenile cross -country league of the season at the hub. Meanwhile our adult section continues to thrive with members taking part in races across all distances. Best of luck to our marathon runners who are almost ready to start their taper before the Dublin City Marathon at the end of October. It’s been a hard slog with all the long training runs but it will all be worth it. A big welcome to our latest Fit4Life group.

The art of storytelling is still alive and well in Lusk. On Friday 8th September Lusk Heritage Group proved that in Murray’s Pub with their lineup of storytellers, poets and raconteurs. Jim Hawkins from Swords was MC for the night and kept everyone entertained along the way Topics varied from the seaweed wars in Skerries and surrounding areas in the first half of the 1900s, and poems by Jim Finnegan stretching back over the last 50 years of his life. Eilen Sweetman brought back memories of the Square in Lusk, of her family and friends. Vera Stone from Rush enthralled her audience with three old recitations that had everyone falling out of their seats with laughter. Jim Monks gave us all a humorous warning about how the internet, I-phones and laptops are in danger of replacing local north county accents with much poorer versions of language and shorthand truncated writing that he was not at all impressed with. But local poet Damien Donnelly showed us that not all is lost yet. He regaled us with three of his poems about travelling, coming home and making sense of this modern world of ours.

Aidan Arnold gave a fascinating talk about his upcoming book Barnewall de Berneval, 800 years an Irish Norman Family. The book, which he hopes to have available for sale by mid-October, had its origins in a 22-year friendship between local Lusk woman Pat Kelly, Secretary of the Lusk Heritage Group and Sir Reginald Barnewall, the head of the Barnewall family worldwide until his death in 2018. On the night, Pat Kelly remembered friends she met over the years with connections to the rich heritage of Fingal, while Sean O’Gorman gave a not so complimentary account of Lord Holmpatrick of Skerries. His court battles with the farmers of Rush were reenacted by Sean and Jim Monks. At the time John Thorne finished up repeatedly in court, pitted against Ian Hamilton (he of the Hamilton Monument in Skerries,) who demanded to be paid for every cart load of seaweed that the local farmers laboriously drew with horse and cart from Shennick Island for use as fertiliser to grow their crops. Just a sample of all the strange and wonderful stories told and yet to be told about our local history.

Primary Education has been provided for the children of Lusk since 1823, predating the establishment of formal national education of 1831. From a two-room bungalow, housing 120 children, to the vast campus we have today, accommodating nearly 1000 children, it is difficult to comprehend the changes that have occurred during this time. The original schoolhouse, and the 1874 building that stands on the same site and is now the parish centre, soon became too small for the population and so in 1955 a new school was opened on Chapel Road. This building grew with the village and was extended several times, ending its life as a 32-classroom vertical school. In 2018, Lusk National school formally split into a Junior and Senior school, each one consisting of 16 classrooms. The history of this school has been intertwined with our own national history. It has witnessed the Great Famine, two World Wars, the struggle for Irish Independence and the foundation of the Irish State. It saw electrification, sanitation, decimalisation and technological advances that those first students couldn’t have dreamt of. In recent times, our town and school have seen an explosion of population and have welcomed many families from all corners of the world to our village. We have also had to adapt quickly, embracing remote learning during the pandemic, which took the classroom out of the school buildings and into the houses of the village. This long and proud tradition of education has been a testament to the people of Lusk, the resilience and togetherness of the community and a determination to provide a wide-reaching service to our students. So why not join us on Saturday 7 October as we turn the pages of history and celebrate 200 years of Lusk National School at 2:00pm-5:00pm. We hope the day will be one filled with nostalgia, laughter and learning as we celebrate two centuries of education. We look forward to opening our school doors to the community, to share old stories and your experiences, and to present you with our modern classrooms and equipment. Please send any photos you have of our school to 200years@lusksns.ie We hope to see you there to honour our 200 years of education and the countless memories that have shaped our community.