Thanks to Fingal County Council Events Team, Rush Tourism is delighted to bring a Christmas Market to Kenure Woods on Saturday November 29th and Sunday November 30th, creating a magical weekend filled with festive fun, family entertainment, and community spirit.

This year’s market promises something for everyone — young and old alike — with an exciting lineup of local crafters, food stalls, live music, and free children’s entertainment sponsored by Progressive Credit Union

Rudolph and his friend will make an appearance, ready for festive photos and fun. Juggling Jack Frost will amaze the crowds with his spectacular skills, while two of Santa’s playful elves hop through the woods spreading cheer and posing for pictures.

Mrs. Claus, sponsored by Carroll Estates and Bellyngham Projects, will be there each day sharing enchanting stories about how the elves are busily preparing for Santa’s big night

Don’t forget to drop your letters into Santa’s Postbox for express delivery straight to the North Pole!
On Sunday, families can hop aboard the Elf Express Train for a free, magical ride through the woods — an experience not to be missed. Get your photo taken with our hopping happy Elves as the train rambles along.

The Kenure Woods Christmas Market is more than just an event — it’s a celebration of community, creativity, and Christmas joy.

So come along and enjoy a fun-filled shopping experience surrounded by festive cheer.
And remember the local motto:

“Keep your business in Rush to keep Rush in business!

What started out as an idea by Declan (Cj) to raise €500 for the Irish Cancer Society has grown into an uplifting and inspiring month of camaraderie and fun, as we Twalked with CJ for 30 days in September.
Every day, CJ was joined by groups of people for early morning, lunchtime, and evening walks. We laughed, chatted, reconnected with old friends, and shared many happy childhood memories along the way. People who have recently moved to Rush — and who might not have been aware of its rich history and heritage — joined the walks and will now see the village in a completely new light!

We talked about pirates, the Tideway Cinema, the day Johnny Cash rolled into town, and countless other fascinating stories from Rush’s past.

CJ’s “Twalk” has truly united our community in a fun and meaningful way. The connection and friendship felt as everyone walked together each day were beyond anything he could have imagined. People battling cancer, along with friends and families who have lost loved ones, came together — walking side by side — to support Declan and to stand for a common cause.

In total, over €6000 was raised for the Irish Cancer Society — a true testament to the power of community spirit and togetherness.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined the walks, donated, and supported Declan throughout the month. Your kindness, laughter, and generosity have made this journey truly special. What began as a small idea has become a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when a community comes together. Here’s to keeping that spirit alive — one step at a time

Fingal Festival of Children’s Literature has been running for a number of years and is organised by Fingal Libraries. The festival is a fantastic celebration of children’s literature and a great chance to meet local authors such as Shane Hegarty, writer of the Darkmouth series, who is from Skerries and in 2024, Rush resident Derek Landy (of Skulduggery Pleasant fame) spoke about his writing and signed copies of the latest book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

This year, the festival included a new short story writing competition, ‘Every Story is Magic’. Entries, which had to be under 400 words long, were shortlisted by staff at Fingal Libraries and three winners were selected from the shortlisted entries by Eoin Colfer, legendary author of the Artemis Fowl series. Amongst the winners was Rush resident Charlotte Semple who won third place in the competition. Charlotte has recently started secondary school at St Joseph’s Secondary School, having previously attended St Catherine’s National School.

Charlotte’s story was 397 words long and described a magical evening where four friends flew over the moonlit Fingal countryside.

The prizes were announced and presented by Eoin Colfer at Swords Castle on 27th September at the Fingal Festival of Children’s Literature. Eoin was also on hand to sign copies of the first book in the Artemis Fowl series.

Whilst walking around Swords recently a passerby asked, “Do you have the time?”. Once a common question but something seldom heard since we evolved to grow that appendage known as the smart phone. The random encounter with the time seeker got me thinking about how much daily life has changed since we Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964) cast a youthful shadow upon the earth. Not everyone had a watch and those who did had to wind them on a regular basis. The local phone box was our digital hub. To use the facility, the speed of an Olympian runner and the cunning of a wise old fox were mandatory in order to reach its door before a certain neighbour. Should she cross the finish line before you, a battle of the irresistible force and immovable object ensued, as she attempted to break the world record for the longest phone call in history. We didn’t get a landline till the early nineties. Years earlier when my father was in hospital, I rang to enquire how he was doing. Instead of the stock reply “As well as can be expected”, a helpful nurse put him on to me. As he had never heard my voice on the phone before, it took all my diplomatic skills to convince him I wasn’t an imposter.

Today shopping is a leisure activity. Back then it was a necessary chore to replenish the basics. Before self-service, we queued at a high counter and timidly asked the shopkeeper (some could be grumpy and hadn’t the customer is always right) for what we wanted. Food hygiene was not in their vocabulary, as cooked and uncooked meats were cut on the same slicer. School lunches are in the news at the moment. Our mothers sent us forth with jam or soggy tomato sandwiches accompanied by a Tupperware beaker of milk to wash them down. We didn’t carry designer water bottles (that other modern day appendage) and survived drinking water of dubious quality water from the roadside pump. We learned to write with a nib pen and ink, and became highly skilled in the art of ducking - a crucial skill to avoid the incoming blackboard duster on a collision course for our heads.

Perhaps the real answer to the passerby is -A very different time!

How to be Social Media Savvy” is a upcoming talk for adults in Malahide Library on Tuesday 4th November at 6pm and aims to help attendees gain an understanding of how social media platforms work and to stay safe from scams, disinformation and various “baiting” techniques.

The topics covered will be: What are the main social media platforms and who owns them? – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X. How do they make money? How social media companies use your data? How do social media platforms decide what you see on your feed (algorithms). How to see more of the content you wish to see and block unwanted content. What are disinformation, misinformation and malinformation? How to recognise disinformation/fake news. How to recognise our own biases. How to recognise various baiting techniques (e.g. click-bait/rage-bait). What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how is it used on social media? What are the different types of online scams? How to recognise scams online.

This talk will be of interest to anybody who uses social media themselves or parents of teens who use social media. If you are interested in attending please email malahidelibrary@fingal.ie or call 01 8704430 to book your place.

Congratulations to all club members who completed one of the autumn marathons including the Dublin City Marathon. Also well done to all who have represented the club in one of the recent cross-country events. We were thrilled to present some of our athletes with hard fought medals won at Dublin Road Races. Niamh Coughlan won F35 Gold at both the Dublin 10 mile and the F35 Half Marathon while Dara Harford won F40 Silver at the Dublin 5k. There were also team medals for Sarah Farrell, Julie Griffith and Sarah Moore (F50 Bronze at the Dublin Half) and Emma Przymusinska, Dara Harford, Geraldine McHale and Louisa Fahy (F35 Silver at the Dublin 5k). A reminder to members to purchase tickets for our Christmas party on December 12th before they sell out. Finally, we were delighted to help Donabate parkrun celebrate its 10th anniversary last month. The club always has a good presence at parkrun with a large contingent of runners as well as regular volunteers. Here’s to the next 10!

Theresa Murphy – Chairperson On behalf of Lusk Senior Citizens Committee said: “I would like to thank everyone who came out on a very wet Saturday to support our vegetable sale. A very big thank you to all the local farmers who very generously donated all the vegetables, fruit and plants. It was a very successful day.”

What a busy month of hard work and fun the Ladies in Lusk ICA had for September and October.
The sports group enjoyed a great bowling night out recently in ALSAA organized by Teresa Killoran. Maria Baird was Presented by Teresa Killoran for a first place; Pauline Flynn came second, and Angela O’Brien came third.

A big thanks to all the ladies who served Tea and Biscuits in the School on Sunday 12th October after the 11.30am Commemoration Mass celebrating the Centenary of St MacCullins Church

Congratulations to Mary Shortall and her ICA colleagues from Dublin Federation who came 3rd at National Pitch and Putt competition in Seapoint.

Beautiful afternoon tea was enjoyed in the Grand Hotel in Malahide organized by Mary Hickey.
Once again thanks to Mary Hickey for organizing a magical experience to Neven Maguire’s wonderful restaurant in Black Lion.

Our thanks to Antoinette Doran and Rosanna Darby and all the team who worked so hard in raising funds for our annual coffee morning in aid of the hospice. Thanks again to everyone who helped and supported us, to Conrad Murray Top Shop, and we are not forgetting all the very kind and generous donations for our Raffle from all the local businesses in Lusk - the final total raised was €3,320.00.

Finally, our Drama group travelled to Ballyheigue County Kerry where we all had a fun weekend of art, dancing, and food. Thanks to Anne Smithers for her hard work arranging it.

A few wonderful photos from Pat Kelly’s archive showing the installation and unveiling of the Black Raven statue on the Dublin Road roundabout in 2005.

This striking piece was commissioned by Lusk Tidy Towns and created by artist Bríd Ní Rinn – one of many projects that have helped shape the look and spirit of our town.

The Black Raven has long been a symbol of Lusk and Fingal. It was said to have been captured from the Norse at the Battle of Clontarf in 1014, brought back to Lusk, and has been part of our story ever since.
In Irish Mythology The Morrigan, a Celtic goddess of war, fate, and sovereignty, is strongly associated with the Raven because of her ability to shapeshift into a Raven to observe and influence battles.

The statue is just one example of what Lusk Tidy Towns do for our community.

For over 40 years they have been involved in: Commissioning public art; installing benches and street furniture; keeping our town clean and beautiful; leading biodiversity and sustainability projects with local, national and even international partners.

They have also been at the centre of much of our community’s social life throughout these years.
Everything they do is volunteer led, by people who give anything from a couple of hours a month upwards. Whether it’s project management, planting, litter picking, installing Barn Owl boxes, or simply helping with events, every little effort adds up.

All the beautiful things we see around Lusk happen because local people care enough to make them happen.

If you recognise anybody in the photos let us know. Email: tidytownslusk@gmail.com

Courtesy Lusk Tidy Towns.

The pupils and staff of Hedgestown National School were delighted to welcome Minister for Education Helen McEntee and her team to their school on Thursday, 9th October.

The Minister was accompanied by Fine Gael Fingal T.D. Grace Boland, Fine Gael Councillor Eoghan Dockrell, and Councillor Tom O’Leary, Lord Mayor of Fingal. Also in attendance were Lusk Parish Priest Father Kevin Moore and Chairperson of the Board of Management Liam Fitzgerald.

The purpose of the visit was to tour the school’s new two-storey building, officially opened in 2024, and to mark the recent establishment of two new autism classes — Solas Glas and Solas Buí.

Principal Damien O’Donoghue led the Minister and guests on a tour of the school, showcasing its modern classrooms, outdoor learning spaces, and impressive facilities, including the school hall and on-site crèche and childcare services provided by ToddleIn Crèche and Montessori. Minister McEntee cut a ribbon to commemorate the occasion and visited the new sensory room, where she met several students from the Solas classes.

During her visit, the Minister also spent time in the mainstream classrooms. Pupils in Mr. Bund’s 5th and 6th class impressed her with their knowledge of the election process — knowledge gained from the recent Student Council elections, in which students from 2nd to 6th class participated by voting on ballot papers following nominee speeches. The Minister also enjoyed a musical performance from the class, which included a group tin whistle recital and individual performances on the harp and guitar.

The next stop was Mr. Hagan’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class, where pupils confidently recited a poem and asked the Minister thoughtful questions about political life — including one particularly popular query: “Who has the authority to decide there is no more homework !?”

Finally, the Minister visited Ms. Bentley’s classroom, where Junior Infants to 1st Class showcased their Irish language skills. When asked what advice they would give the Minister’s own child, who will start primary school next year, the pupils eagerly offered helpful and heartfelt suggestions.

Speaking after the visit, Principal Damien O’Donoghue expressed his gratitude:
“We were honoured to welcome Minister McEntee and her colleagues to Hedgestown National School. It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to learn more about government and civic responsibility, while also sharing the fantastic progress and spirit of our rural school community.”

Hedgestown National School would like to extend its sincere thanks to Minister McEntee and all visiting representatives for taking the time to engage with the pupils and staff. The visit provided an inspiring insight into public service and leadership for the entire school community.