Active Age as usual have great plans for this term especially our involvement in Fingal Inclusion Week. As our contribution to this event we will hold an Inclusion Day in the Community Centre. In conjunction with the Community Centre and other groups we will stage an exhibition of crafts, painting and photography and enjoy some music and singing. We will be providing some taster classes in Yoga and Sit & Get Fit, on the day so if you want to try these activities please come along and support us. The Day will open at 11.30 a.m. and continue till 3.00 p.m. Tea/coffee and home made cakes will be provided free of charge. Active Age will have an information stand there if you wish to join us or just get some information about our classes.- A Walk Through the Liberties -Recently a group from Active Age went on a guided walk through the Liberties area of Dublin. This area is located in the southwest of the inner city. Our lovely guide Roslyn was born and reared in the area so she is a true child of the Liberties. Liberties were a feature of mediaeval cities under Anglo Norman rule. They were outside the city walls and separate from the main city government. They were granted certain privileges and entitlements to regulate trade and commerce within “the Liberty” hence the name The Liberties. Our tour started at the corner of Cornmarket and Lamb Alley where one of the only remnants of the city wall remains. We were fascinated by the depth of Roslyn’s knowledge of the area, from the Vikings to the 17th and 18th century when it became the industrial heart of the city. In later times it was dominated by Guinness and Power families. Great poverty and slums were evident in the 19th century and this spurred a number of enlightened housing developments, for example, The Iveagh Trust Buildings on Patrick Street. We saw one of the oldest buildings in Dublin on Thomas Street which has been lovingly restored. We all enjoyed our ramble through this historic part of Dublin and sincere thanks to our guide Roslyn who made the day very special. For our next trip we are hoping to visit Glasnevin Cemetery which should be a fascinating trip. As always if you need further information about Active Age please email activeageforall@gmail.com or look at our website activeageforall.com

Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society will bring Frank McGuinness’ play ‘The Factory Girls’ to Donabate Parish Hall, from Thursday 24th to Saturday 26th November, 8pm and Sunday 27th November, 3pm. Donabate Portrane Dramatic Society’s new production is directed by an experienced member of the society Lisa Buckley, and it features a cast of existing as well as new members. The Factory Girls, set in a shirt factory in County Donegal in the early 80s, tells the story of five strong women who, facing the threat of redundancy, decide to stage a lock-in in the manager’s office until better conditions are offered. During the course of their adventure Ellen, Una, Vera, Rebecca and Rosemary learn more about each other’s life stories and their personalities. They show courage and camaraderie when facing the manager Mr. Rohan and the Union representative Mr. Bonner, but they can’t avoid the struggle with one another. Although they often give each other a hard time, what emerges is a story based on friendship, loyalty and the sisterhood which grows between them. The play, which is particularly realistic and relevant today, is a blend of laughs and poignant moments, teeming with humour, colourful language, anger, courage and compassion. “I am excited about bringing The Factory Girls to a Donabate audience. These women all have their own story at different stages of their life. They are all connected by the security of the main job in a small town, working on the factory line and this story is about what happens when the security is threatened” – Lisa said. Tickets cost €10 per person and are available on door or on eventbrite.ie.

Corina Johnston, Labour Party Area Representative has welcomed the announcement by Fingal County Council of its intention to carry out permanent resurfacing works at the Ballymastone sports ground car park.Johnston said; “ I am very pleased that the ongoing campaign by Duncan Smith TD and I for the permanent resurfacing of the existing car park at the Ballymastone Sports Grounds has come to a successful conclusion”Johnston added;”At an on-site meeting with Fingal County Council this morning requested by Duncan Smith TD in which I was in attendance, Senior Officials from Fingal County Council informed representatives from St Pats GAA, St. Ita’s AFC and local Cllrs Henchy and Mulville that the council have taken the decision to resurface the car park with a tar-macadam surface. The officials confirmed their intention to progress these works through a procurement process with the works to be carried out at the earliest possible time. In the interim I asked the council to carry out remedial works given the current condition of the car park which they have agreed to.”Johnston added; “Duncan Smith TD and I have been campaigning for this work to be carried out for nearly two years now. At an onsite meeting earlier this year we stressed the need for a permanent solution to the car park surface and the need for the provision of lights in the car park given the number of children accessing the sports grounds across the dark car park. At that time the council proposed to carry out temporary repairs and to give consideration to installing lights in the car park. Within a few weeks the car park surface returned to the desperate state it was a few weeks earlier.At my request the former Mayor Cllr Seána O’Rodaigh rased a question with the CEO. Johnston concluded: We thanked the officials for taking the health and safety concerns of parents and the clubs on board, for coming up with the substantial amount of funding required to carry out the necessary works and for their ongoing support for sport on the peninsula.”

Councillors have approved Fingal County Council’s €989m three-year Capital Programme which provides for significant investment on projects across the County during period from 2023 to 2025. It represents a €205m increase on the previous Capital Plan with the 2023-2025 programme identifying 266 individual projects with an estimated spend of €988,990,218 over the three years The Programme projects a capital spend in 2022 of €269m, followed by €354m in 2023 and a further €366m in 2023. Around 55% of the €989m has been allocated to Housing with the €543m budget underpinning the Council’s commitment to delivering a significant housing programme under the Government’s Housing For All policy. Another 15%, or €146m, has been earmarked for Economic, Enterprise, Tourism and Cultural Development projects. A further €139m, or 14%, is set aside for Planning and Strategic Infrastructure projects The remaining 17% of Capital Programme spending will be on Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel (€68m); Operations and Water Services (€41m), Community and Sports Development (€35m) and Corporate Affairs and Governance (€17m).The Capital Plan is a rolling programme which is revised annually as time and other constraints may vary the progress of projects within a given period. The decision of Councillors to agree the Capital Plan 2023-2025 does not confer approval on any individual project. This can only be done through the normal statutory processes and compliance with the Public Spending Code. Funding arrangements also need to be clearly identified and secured in advance of committing to any project.

Householders in Fingal will see their 2023 Local Property Tax bills reduced by 7.5% following a decision by councillors at last night’s monthly meeting of Fingal County Council. The elected members in Fingal voted by 26 votes to eight to reduce the Local Property Tax by 7.5% up to 31 December 2024.This is the sixth successive year that bills have been reduced by less than the 15% rate. The previous five reductions were for 10% and the extra income raised facilitated increased resources in areas such as housing, operations, community, and libraries. The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, Ann Marie Farrelly, said the decision of councillors will benefit both the householders and the communities they live in. This is the sixth year we have been able to give householders a reduction while creating a fund for local services. Having that extra funding has made a tangible difference across the county and I would like to thank our Elected Members for their continued support,” said Ms Farrelly. The effect of new valuations and the increased number of residential properties liable for Local Property Tax will result in an average decrease of around 1.3% on what people were paying in 2022,” she added. The number of properties playing Local Property Tax in Fingal has risen by 10.7% from 98,300 in 2022 to 108,800 and the average amount paid will reduce from €349 to €345.The decision not to apply the full 15% reduction means that Fingal County Council will have an additional €2.26m to spend on local services.

Fingal County Council has welcomed the announcement by Taoiseach Micheál Martin of a €150,000 grant under the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding Scheme for the Corridor Enterprise Hubs project. The Corridor Enterprise Hubs project is a Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor (DBEC) initiative for which Fingal County Council is the lead authority. DBEC is a partnership of eight local authorities and two universities located on either side of the border. The grant will enable Fingal to commission a feasibility study on developing regional innovation hubs within the DBEC area. Innovation hubs have been identified by the DBEC partnership as having the potential for collaboration between the partners based on existing local strengths and the importance of the establishment of local clusters as highlighted in national and regional plans. The DBEC partners have identified a number of economic clusters with the potential for cross-border collaboration including: -Fintech Cluster- Circular Economy Cluster - Digital Health Cluster - Agri-tech Cluster and Advanced Manufacturing and Renewable Engineering Cluster. Welcoming the funding announcement, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony, said: “The funding from the Shared Island Scheme will allow Fingal County Council, and our partners within the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor partnership, to undertake this important feasibility study which will examine how we can create cross-border sectoral clusters, using new or existing facilities, to promote enterprise in the region.”Fingal County Council Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: Following today’s announcement, a multi-disciplinary team drawn from within the DBEC partnership will prepare the Terms of Reference for the feasibility study, with Fingal County Council leading and managing the procurement process with the tender award anticipated in December. The successful tenderer will commence the feasibility study in January 2023 and will be supported by a Steering Committee comprised of relevant officials from within the DBEC partnership to produce a final report in Q22023. The Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor partnership consists of Belfast City Council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Newry & Mourne District Council, Louth County Council, Meath County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council plus academic partners Dublin City University and Ulster University.

Balbriggan RFC hosted 11 school teams in the Leinster Rugby Junior 3A qualifiers blitz today. A great morning of rugby including our local Ardgillan Community College Junior team.

Well done to Ardgillan Community College and Malahide Community School who have qualified for the Cup.

We are delighted to tell you all that Adel, who was puppy raised by volunteer Anne Mulligan has officially qualified as an Assistance Dog and has been matched with a young boy in Co. Kildare. We wish Adel and her new family the best of luck in the future and we want to thank Anne for all her hard work. We are also happy to announce that our Balbriggan Branch attended the Bremore Castle Food and Craft Village back on Sunday the 4th September and a total of €161.50 was raised. A big thank you to all the volunteers and all who came over to support us. Jacqui Madden was the winner of our Guide Dog Hamper, a big congratulations to Jacqui again and thank you for supporting us. Are you looking for ways to support your local Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs? Well, we are hoping to hold a Quiz night in November/December, be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook/Instagram for updates on that. Another way you can help us is if you have any old coins or stamps that are no longer in circulation. Annually our branch puts out this request, ‘If you have any used postage stamps, stamp albums, or coins which are no longer in circulation, please give them to us. We will turn them into Euros and lodge them to the guide dogs account.’ We receive coins from all over the world and old postage stamps. In our guide dog boxes and large collection dogs we find coins from all over the world and from Europe that are no longer legal currency since the Euro came into place. We get paper notes of all sorts of denominations, coins and used stamps from our branch volunteers and friends.If you are interested in volunteering with our Balbriggan branch of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, please feel free to contact us by call or text: 085 7663107, email guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com, or you can find us on Facebook: Balbriggan Branch of Guide Dogs.

Balbriggan woman Nina McGowan set a new world record in the Masters category of the No Fins discipline at a prestigious international free diving competition. She went on to secure a gold medal for Ireland in the FIM (Free Immersion) category during the CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) Outdoor Free diving World Championships in Kas, Turkey. McGowan, 50, from the Harbour area of the town, also set two national records over the course of the Championships. She beat the existing world record by three metres to log the deepest ‘no fins’ dive in CMAS history for a woman aged 50-54. She dived to 43m, with a dive duration of two minutes, ten seconds at the competition’s warm-up event. McGowan is one of the world’s leading exponents of free diving, which involves competitors diving deep under water without breathing equipment. “When my coach suggested a world record was within my reach, I thought it was a crazy,” she said. But because water is both my sanctuary and playground, anything is possible. The limitations of the land do not apply.To become a world champion and a world record holder in one week is simply fantastic. I had many doubts and failings along the way, but I have achieved what I set out to do and I am very proud Ireland is now represented at this level in freed diving. I hope the sport will grow in Ireland and that next year we will have an Irish team going to the World Championships. I would like to thank everyone who has helped me in this adventure. Diving Ireland, Sport Ireland and Dublin City Sports and Wellbeing Partnership for their support and belief in me. Also, my Go-Funders, friends, family and the wonderful community of freedivers who have encouraged me from the beginning and continue to cheer me on.”

Fingal County Council has been given the go ahead for a €10 million transformation of the Balbriggan town centre which will deliver a unique public civic space in the heart of Ireland’s youngest town. The proposed new public space is the first and largest signature project to be brought forward under the Council’s Our Balbriggan 2019-2025 Rejuvenation Plan. The multi-purpose plaza area and linear park is designed to host markets, events and festivals and to provide enhanced play, leisure and tourism opportunities in the town. The approval by Councillors means revitalisation plans for the area will now move forward, with the re-development of the 19,300m2 site expected to commence in early 2024 and the works completed on a phased basis by the end of 2025.Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Howard Mahony said: “This project will help transform the area into a much more people-oriented public space. Along with enhancing the appeal of the location, a new commercial building and two new kiosks will be built on the site of a former nightclub in the harbour area to accommodate visitor and leisure activities.”The public realm redevelopment will see areas of Quay Street, Mill Street, Harbour Road and Balbriggan Harbour become an integrated space which links the town centre and River Bracken with the harbour. The canalisation of the River Bracken will also be undertaken, opening it up as an amenity for residents and visitors to experience and enjoy. Broad steps will lead down to the water, which will feature increased planting, improved biodiversity and enhanced flood protection. 75% of the funding for the €10 million project will come from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, with the remainder financed from Fingal’s capital spending programme. Professor Brian MacCraith, chair of the Our Balbriggan Leadership Group, said the development is the most significant step yet in the town’s rejuvenation plan. “The granting of planning permission is wonderful news for Balbriggan and will help secure its future. Our consultations with the people of Balbriggan, clearly demonstrated support for reimagining the harbour area. The approved proposals will do just that, creating an exciting, lively pier and waterfront that will help link leisure and tourism opportunities in the town and significantly boost Balbriggan’s offering,” He paid tribute to all who contributed to the public consultation process: “I am delighted that not only have we reflected the public’s view of the reimagining of the harbour area, but also that the feedback and local insight gleaned from the public consultation process was critical in progressing plans and is ultimately reflected in the project.”