This was the first game back for the Under 11B’s after the Christmas break in tough windy and wet conditions recently. Both teams agreed to play 9 a side which suited our passing game on a bigger pitch. We played with the wind in first half and played some great passing football, stretching the opposition, letting the ball do the work. We took to lead 10mins in with a great passage of play 1 touch football down the right which was finished by Max. Their keeper was great form, with Senan clipping the crossbar and a free kick just going wide. The team adapted in the 2nd half playing into a strong wind. We made 5 changes and the players coming on did really well. Big shout out to Oscar on making debut on the left side of midfield. Terenure put us under spells of pressure in the 2nd half. The team soaked this up with strong leadership from Leo (GK) & Alex (CB). A great counter attacking move down the left was sweetly finished by Daniel M. It was end to end from last quarter, both teams playing good football, until Leon won the ball at the edge of their box, found space followed by the top corner (George Best would have proud). We finished strong with the final result 0-3 win to Swords. Players of the week were Leon & Senan. All the hard work in training in January and early February showed on the pitch. A big thank you to coaches Eugene, Tom, Anthony & John not forgetting Anita for the kits!! A great start to the 2nd half of the season!! Training continues on Tuesday night!!!

Recently we at Fingallians were delighted to welcome David Keeling to the club to launch our new partnership with Keelings Fruit. As two well known organisations in Swords we will be coming together to drive a new initiative to highlight the importance of nutrition on the physical and mental wellbeing of all our club members, their families and friends. We envisage this partnership will enable us to continue to grow and promote a healthy lifestyle across the local community through the participation in our Gaelic Games and other social activities. In addition, we are hoping this partnership will also help to improve nutritional and health wellbeing with various new ventures on the horizon through our Health & Wellbeing section.

By Ken Duffy

Swords Tidy Towns will be partaking in the 2022 Swords St Patrick’s Day Parade after a two-year Pandemic absence. I must say it feels good to get back to some kind of normal and have fun and frolics with the group.The theme of the parade this year is recognising the contribution of front-line workers, this is a fantastic tribute to them and what they did under extreme and dangerous conditions.Swords Tidy Towns will, in our own diminutive way, reflect our appreciation to front-line workers in our presentation on the day. We will also be having a Street and Pub Bucket Collection at the end of the parade; this is the first time in over two years that we have been able to raise funds. I would ask the public to be as supportive as their budgets will allow, all funds raised are ploughed back into the community keeping Swords looking beautiful.As always new members are very welcome into the group, if you have an inkling to get involved Contact Ken 0866008313 or email us at swordstidytowns@irishmediagroup

Malahide United are delighted to announce a successful Sports Capital Grant allocation of €19,737 towards sports equipment for the new all-weather pitch and a ball stop. The continued support of Darragh O’Brien TD and Cllr. Eoghan O’Brien is greatly appreciated by everyone at Malahide United

A picture album of the great work being carried out by the volunteer crew of allotment holders - AKA- the Water Rats - as they look to take control of the draining and alleviation of flooding issues that has blighted the facility in recent years. Despite challenging conditions inclement weather, the good news is that progress is being made and the drain ditches and now helping to empty the surface water that has limited access to holders in recent times.

Malahide Lions recently presented cheques to St Francis Hospice and the RNLI Howth. Malahide Lions is proud to give ongoing support to two great organisations who provide wonderful care and rescue services to the community. These donations were raised through the Christmas Appeal and would not be possible without the generosity of the people of Malahide.

The close ties between Ireland and New Zealand were on display today as Ambassador Brad Burgess visited Malahide Castle and Gardens for a special silver fern planting ceremony to help commemorate Waitangi Day. The silver fern is a species endemic to New Zealand, dating back to the Pliocene epoch (around 5 to 1.8 million years ago). It has been accepted as a symbol of New Zealand’s national identity since the 1880s and has special significance to the Māori people as the elegant shape of the fronds stood for strength, stubborn resistance, and enduring power.The visitor attraction at Malahide is well known for housing a tremendous range of species from the Southern Hemisphere thanks to the 7th Baron Malahide, Milo Talbot, who introduced many rare trees and shrubs to the grounds. Over the last 12 months work has been undertaken to further expand the collection of New Zealand flora at the site, with over 25 different varieties of Phormiums planted. The special New Zealand Garden within the grounds also features a Māori hut and a stunning Pouwhenua sculpture by Irish woodcarver Richie Clarke. The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh, said: “Kia ora e kare ma, Fáilte romhat go Mullach Íde! I am delighted to welcome Ambassador Burgess for this commemorative silver fern planting ceremony to help celebrate Waitangi Day. New Zealand Ambassador, Brad Burgess, said: “It’s great to be able to be here to add to the New Zealand Gardens in Fingal, and especially to see such a wonderful silver fern coming into the collection. Waitangi Day is a really important celebration for all New Zealanders around the world, the birthdate of our modern nation. There’s a significant Irish connection too, as William Hobson who crafted the treaty was born in Waterford and became our first Governor.

Now that the restrictions are relaxing Junsa Taekwondo is in preparation for the return to competitions . In the coming months our national governing body , Taekwondo Ireland, are organising small tournaments for beginners and intermediate students, for our more advanced students we are beginning to make preparations to travel to the UK and Europe for competitions.

We train in Lusk Scouts Den please contact Master Stuart Russell or follow us on Facebook. Unfortunately both our beginner classes are full at the moment( but there is a waiting list ) and our intermediate and advanced class’s have limited availability, so please don’t delay if you are interested in getting fit, building confidence, and learning new life skills. Our pictures show Junsa’s students in training for their upcoming competitions.

Lusk Athletic Club were awarded the ‘National Development Club of the Year’at the recent Athletics Ireland National awards ceremony on Saturday 4th February. Considering the hundreds of athletic clubs around the country, this is a great accolade for the club and everyone involved with Lusk Athletic Club, adult and juvenile members, coaches, committee, parents, supporters and those that took the decision to reform Lusk Athletic Club back in 2009 and have overseen phenomenal growth since then with club membership reaching an amazing 700 in 2021. Lusk Athletic Club is a club for all – ages – abilities - and events. Well done to our coaches, mentors, volunteers, parents and athletes - this is your award.The first two months of the year have been very successful for the club with both our master’s athletes and our Juvenile athletes competing and winning medals at the National and Dublin Indoor championships at the National Indoor Arena, Abbotstown. We also had a great turnout for the recent Raheny Shamrock 5-Mile race and the Dublin Masters Cross-county races in January. Lusk Athletic Club also rolled out our Fit4Life and Fit4Youth groups in January which are both going very well. Sunday 6th March will see the LUSK 4 Mile race take place at 3pm preceded by Juvenile races from 1.30pm. All are welcome to run, jog or walk the Lusk 4 Mile and you can register at Luskathleticclub.ie or on the My run results website.

At present we have two teams looking for new recruits. Our U13 Boys are looking for new players and we are also delighted to announce that our new U9 Girls are also looking for new players. If you have a child in either of these age categories who wants to play football or Camogie then give us a call, both the young person and all your family will be made most welcome at the club.