It has been a remarkably busy and successful time for Lusk Athletic Club over the past month with athletes of all ages competing in the Dublin Juvenile Championships at the Morton stadium in Santry and Junior, Senior and master’s athletes competing in the Leinster championships at the magnificent IT Carlow stadium. Lusk AC members also took part in a wide range of road races, parkruns and a trail run in Ardgillan demesne. We had 54 athletes from the club take part in our neighbour’s race, the LSA 4 mile. Well done to all our athletes who ran, threw, jumped, those who won medals, Many thanks to our fantastic coaches, officials, parents and volunteers.

While many activities take a break over the summer months, the following will be available in the following centres: (1) Cottage Community Centre :Kumon, the learning and development pro-gramme will continue over the summer except July 18th - August 2nd.Lusk Senior Citizens wee kly get together is on Friday mornings. - Yoganamara both Chair and Pregnancy Yoga takes place on Tuesdays. - Prosper Fingal classes are on Tuesday mornings except from June 24th - July 11th (2) Saint Macullins Centre (SMC): Foróige Coastal North Dublin have youth get togethers. - RCCG Assembly of Praise Sunday services. - Yoganamara with Saturday morning Yoga to start the weekend. - In addition to weekly activities the following Summer Camps will be happening. - Bricks4Kidz (SMC) July 4th - July 8th. Daily from 10am - 1pm and 2.30pm – 5.30pm - August 2nd - 5th. Daily from 10am – 1pm Bricks4Kidz (Cottage) - August 15th - 18th Daily from 10am – 1pm - Tina Mation: (SMC) July 11th - 15th. Daily from 10am – 1pm - Aug 15th - 19th. Daily from 10am – 1pm. Contact the Cottage Community Centre for further information Tel. 01 8954180 or email cottagecommunitycentre@yahoo.com

The Lusk Mens walk and talk group meet at the Hub car park at 7:00pm every Monday for their weekly walk. This is open to all men and it’s an opportunity just get out of the house, have a nice walk, clear the head and have a chat if you wish. You can do it as a once off or every week, no joining necessary, just turn up. This group is organised by Ciaran Russell, so if you want to introduce yourself to him and before long you will find you have made new friends. So why not let any friends or neighbours know about it as new members are alaways welcome

The public consultation for the new development plan closed last month with 1,946 individual submissions made my stakeholders and members of the public to Fingal County Council. Speaking on the matter Cllr Rob O’Donoghue welcomed the large number of submissions from the member of the public from the Rush-Lusk electoral area however, there were a number of issues of concerns he had regarding the large number of submissions relating to land rezoning in the area. He stated ‘that it is my belief that Lusk as a town, needs to consolidate and settle for the duration of the new Development Plan, between the census in 2002 and 2016 the town has grown in population by 217%, by far the largest growth of all the sustainable growth towns in the North County. We have legacy issues with the provision of the social dividend in relation to taking in-charge Lusk Village and the green space associated with The Forge estate which have dragged on for years and need to be prioritised for the provision of amenities for the towns residents and clubs.’ “He continued, to date, in the previous stage of the Development Plan I have fought off attempts from Councillors outside of the electoral area to rezone land in the Rush-Lusk area particularly between the towns of Lusk and Rush. It is with disappointment that I read submissions made seeking large land rezonings in the towns hinterland which would radically alter the character of the town. I can assure the people of Lusk that I will oppose any such proposals that are brought forward at the final phase of the Development Plan later in the year.”

This week’s instalment comes from the Irish Daily Independent dated 20th July 1894. Fins travelled to Rush to play local team Emerald Isles.At this time a goal was equivalent to 5 points hence the line “…winners by 2 goals and 10 points (equal to 4 goals)…” It is interesting how the rules evolve through time. At this time Gaelic football was played 17-a-side and the goals were similar to soccer goals. There were also two outer posts. A point was awarded if the ball went over the goal or within the external posts. Similar to Australian Football today.

Congratulations to Mark Girvin who was presented with his Nidan Diploma 2nd Dan Black Belt recently. Mark is a founding member of Swords Karate Club and has trained regularly since he joined back in 2001. For his Nidan examination Mark had to demonstrate a range of Kumite techniques as well as performing several Kata. He had several Kumite fights against opponents where he put his nidan techniques to good use. He was presented with his Diploma by Dermot O Keeffe Sensei 6th Dan JKS, Chief Instructor of JKS Karate in Ireland. We surprised Sensei Ali at the Spring Seminar with a birthday cake and a rendition of Happy Birthday to celebrate her 21st Birthday which was on the same day. She was shocked but delighted at the surprise and promised not to eat all her cake herself! Sensei Ali teaches our Tigers classes. We welcomed Makita Sensei 6th Dan JKS from Japan for day 1 of our Spring Seminar. Over 70 people from all over Ireland took part as Makita Sensei led the students through several rounds of Japanese style training. He demonstrated dynamic contraction and expansion in techniques followed by teaching of Kashu Kata. The seminar was held in Applewood Community Centre. We hosted Jesper Sensei, 7th Dan JKS on day 2 of our Spring Seminar. He spent his time teaching the intricacies of Kaishu Ippon Kumite with a partner and all the students enjoyed his teaching immensely. Class reports: Tigers and Juniors are preparing for the upcoming JKS Inter-Club Competition as well as for grading examinations. The Competition is being hosted by JKS Swords and gives students an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in class in a supportive competition environment. Seniors continue to work on developing real world skills from karate techniques. We take new members (Children, Young People & Adults) all through the year. Contact Dermot on 087-98073885 for details on how to join.Contact us on Facebook: JKS Swords Karate Club or on Instagram: @jks_swords_karate_club

Fingal County Council is going out to public consultation next month on its plans for the Swords Cultural Centre which will be a key component of the Swords Cultural Quarter.Councillors were informed recently that a Part 8 planning process will commence on Thursday, July 7 for the new Centre which will be located at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road, beside Swords Castle and County Hall, in the centre of Swords.The new Centre, will be a four-story building covering 5,700 square metres and featuring a new County Library, a tourist office, a gallery and a 165 seat multi-functional theatre.The plans also include a new design of the public realm around Swords Castle and County Hall.The public consultation process will commence on Thursday, July 7 with the plans for the Swords Cultural Centre on public display at County Hall, Swords, and Civic Offices, Blanchardstown, until August 5. They will also be available online at fingal.ie and consult.fingal.ie. Submissions about the proposal will be accepted until August 15 at consult.fingal.ie.The Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly, said: “ We now have a schedule in place which, if all goes well, will see construction commence in the second half of 2023. This project is connected to the Sustainable Swords Strategy and, between them, they will transform the area along Main Street and improve connectivity between the centre and the rest of the town.”The Sustainable Swords Strategy is a key part of Fingal County Council’s plan to ensure that, as Swords continues to expand, the town grows sustainably and develops into well-designed county capital. It will focus on reversing the historic shift away from Main Street, which commenced in the early 2000s, in order to facilitate better placemaking and create a more resilient town centre.Fingal County Council has already completed a Health Check of the works programme, a Public Realm Strategy, a Transport Strategy and a Business Case Evaluation of key transformative projects and will unveil its Sustainable Swords Strategy in September when it is presented for public consultation.

Fingal Horticultural Society (Swords) are delighted to announce that their 2022 show will once again be open to the public following two years of restricted access due to Covid-19. The Annual Horticultural show takes place on Bank Holiday Monday 1st August in St. Colmcille’s GFC, Glen Ellen Road and will be open for viewing from 2-5pm.There will be Competition Classes in Flowers; Pot Plants; Vegetables & Fruit; Baking; Handcrafts; Flower Arranging; Children under 9 years, under 12 years & under 16 years. So, if you have Super Sweet Pea, Romantic Roses, Classic Cabbage or Prolific Pot Plants why not bring them along to St. Colmcille’s on Sunday afternoon 31st July from 2-8pm or on Monday morning 1st August from 8-11am…entry is open to everyone, and we will have members on hand to help first time exhibitors. Are you an avid Baker or enthusiastic Flower Arranger or are Handcrafts your guilty pleasure, we would love to have your entries and it is really great fun. Children are also encouraged with classes for Miniature Gardens, Models made from Fruit & Veg, Painting and much more. So, come along and support our Annual Show which is now in its 80th year either as an exhibitor or visitor to see a great display of locally grown Flowers & Vegetables and an outstanding display of locally produced Baking & Handcrafts. And don’t forget to visit the Gardening & Horticultural Show at the Flavours of Fingal Event which will be held this weekend 2nd&3rd July in Newbridge House, Donabate with free transport links from Swords…you will find us in the Farmers Field. Competition Schedules for both Shows are available by contacting info@fingalhorticulturalsociety.com or phone the Show Secretary 086 3343680.

By Ken Duffy

From June 11th until August 5th the judges from the National Tidy Towns Competition will be travelling the length and breathe of Ireland visiting each village, town and city to award the points they believe each entrant merits. Swords Tidy Towns would ask residents and visitors to bare this fact in mind and be extra vigilant with regard to disposing of litter. Our hard-working volunteers have been putting in the hours these past few months in preparation for the judges visit. We never know when the judges will arrive in our town so it’s all hands-on deck for the next month. All the hard work put in by our crew over the year is done because of their love of the town of Swords and also for the visual benefit of its wonderful friendly residents. Swords Tidy Towns have won numerous awards and plaudits over the past number of years for their efforts both locally and nationally and is a reflection on all the great work our team puts in. If you would like to contribute either by joining the Swords Tidy Towns team or by making a contribution, you can contact us by email at swordstidytowns@irishmediagroup

Fingal County Council brought together Councillors, contractors and staff for an onsite briefing in Swords at St. Cronan’s Road and Brackenstown Avenue as work got underway recently on upgraded, protected cycle lanes.These works include upgrading of the existing walking and cycling infrastructure in the area to improve safety, reduce traffic speed and create better connections to local schools and to Swords Manor Football Club, public transport and local amenities in the area. The works also include realignment and upgrading of junctions, road surface improvements, traffic calming, improvement of crossing points, segregation of cycle lanes using bollards and providing safer routes to school for St. Cronan’s National School. Fingal’s Director of Environment, Climate Action and Active Travel, David Storey, says works like these are key to improving road safety and mobility. ‘Swords is a great example of a town that due to the growth of its population needs traffic calming and Active Travel infrastructure to support people who want to walk and cycle to school or work safely. These upgraded, protected cycle lanes offer protection for both the cyclist and the driver and this is particularly important around St. Cronan’s National School.’ Fingal County Council concluded a 5-week public consultation on these protected cycle lane upgrades for St Cronan’s Avenue and Brackenstown Road in late April. A report on submissions received from the public was published in May. The consultation report is available to the public to view online at fingal.ie/activetravel/stcronansavenue. Works began on Monday, 23 May as GMC Utilities Group, installed a site works compound at Ardcian Park and works are due to be completed in Quarter 4 of 2022. Works will be completed on a phased basis to minimise disruption to the local area and those travelling in the area should keep an eye on Fingal County Council’s Facebook and Twitter for updates relating to traffic calming measures as they occur.If you would like to learn more about the details of these works please visit: fingal.ie/activetravel/stcronansavenue