Swords Tidy Towns have been working very hard on their Bio Diversity agenda plan. We have planted Wild Flower Meadows and when putting down bedding plants we try always to use Bee and Insect Friendly plants. We are lucky to have a very dedicated team within our group who have taken on this invaluable work. They are currently looking for volunteers with a keen interest in gardening to help them by adopting one of their patches and tending to it. We are also seeking volunteers who are good at Bricklaying, local Artists who would consider giving up some of their free time to help with our Art Projects, people who are good with machinery for maintenance and repair of our machines.Our volunteers were busy this month in their homes to measure NO2 levels at different address areas around Swords, it will be really interesting to see the different air quality in those areas. Swords Tidy Towns are very excited to participate in yet another Citizen Science project. If you are interested in offering some of your free time to help with any of the aforementioned, please contact Ken on 0866008313 We continue to have a problem with graffiti in and around the Swords area. We have a very keen team of Graffiti Cleaning Warriors who have made it their mission in life to go out several days a week to combat this scourge, very successfully I might add. Swords Tidy Towns Mascot is a large Teddy Bear, we would love to have it fitted for a Swords Tidy Towns outfit just for him. If there is a talented seamstress who could help us out with this, we would love to hear from you. If your estate has a Residents Association, please register it with Swords Tidy Towns. We have a designated Res Ass Liaison Officer who would be only too happy to hear from you. Many estates have registered with us already and have benefited from their link up with us.Swords Tidy Towns volunteers continue to give up their free time to make their town a better experience for everyone, you can help, please bin your litter.

Like all clubs within the community we had a numbers of jobs on our long lists to accomplish during restrictions. One of these was sprucing up the clubhouse dressing rooms for all club players for when they come back into operation. Swords Celtic would like to sincerely thank our local Colourtrend Paints store here in Swords for their generosity in helping make this task possible. It’s companies like you that make our life easier in trying to run our club. As always we ask club members and the local community to shop local and if your thinking of paints then please support businesses that support the local community like Colourtrend Paints.

Swords Division was established in 2014. Since then we have grown and have One ambulance, first aid tent and a Cycle Response Unit (CRU). We have 25 adult members from basic first aid, EMT to Nurses. In 2019, our cadet division was formed. Our division is lead by our Officer in Charge Mr Jamie Bollard MStJ, assisted by our senior NCO’s Michael, Noel, Jock and Claire (cadets). Our Cycle response unit was donated to us in 2019 by One4All gift cards. We are a very active division with a wide area to cover in North Co. Dublin.We provide professional event medical cover for any event, providing our Ambulance, CRU, Tent, First aid patrols and more. Our division provides First Aid courses, demos, talks and more, with our experienced instructors Noel, Jamie, Michael, Gerard and Declan. Our training equipment is of the highest standards including our full body CPR, Airway and Trauma manikin.

Work commenced recently on the construction of a new €1.5million All-Weather Sports Pitch Facility at Ward River Valley Regional Park in Swords.The new third generation synthetic all-weather pitch will be a full sized GAA & Soccer pitch which will be similar to the facility at Bremore Regional Park in Balbriggan. The new floodlight facility will be accompanied by car, coach and bicycle parking to service the needs of the pitch users as well as improving access to the park.The project is being led by the Council’s Parks & Green Infrastructure Division and the contract for the works has been awarded to Haffey Sports Grounds Ltd following the conclusion of the competitive tender process. It is anticipated that the facility will be completed by the Second Quarter of 2022. Earlier this year the limited removal of some screen tree planting took place to create space for the pitch and facilitate construction works. This followed consultation with the public to ensure the layout of the pitch would allow for the retention of a landmark mature tree on the site. Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh said: “I welcome the news that contractors have gone on site to begin construction of what will be a valuable sporting amenity for the people of Swords and wider area. A lot of work has been done by councillors, staff and other stakeholders over the last few years to make this project a reality and this is a significant milestone in the journey.” Kevin Halpenny, Senior Parks Superintendent with Fingal County Council, said: “In any project there are a lot of steps that must be completed before we can get to construction stage and I want to thank the local councillors and stakeholders for their patience as we moved through the various stages. Following the development of the new Recreational Hub facilities, a major community tree planting project will add to the tree cover in this part of the park and improve the landscape setting of the Hub.” Funding for the €1.5m project has been provided by Fingal County Council and also by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) to address a requirement for community gain that the airport authority is providing as part of the development of the North Runway at Dublin Airport.

Fingallians G.A.A. club in Swords hold a weekly Irish language conversation group that recently celebrated its 10thbirthday. Irish Language promotion is central to the ethos of the G.A.A. and particularly Fingallians G.A.A. club.The Grúpa Comhrá was established by the club’s Irish language and Culture Officer Liam Ó Culbáird. Liam said “we felt we needed to create our own opportunity where we could use, practice and improve our Irish. We wanted something different from a classroom setting so we established a relaxed, welcoming and encouraging environment that was supportive of all levels. The emphasis has always been on enjoyment of the language and nobody is overly concerned about intricate grammar or ultra-precise pronunciation. Our group has always been a setting where everybody is learning from everybody else.”The Grúpa Comhrá has seen hundreds of people come and go through the years and the fact that it is still going strong ten years down the road is, according to Liam, as a result of the emphasis on fun while learning. “We have seen hundreds of people from all sorts of backgrounds, some came for two or three weeks while others have stayed for years. Because there is no cost involved and it is a bar setting we have people that come for a pint, others will have a coffee or whatever takes their fancy. We ‘shoot the breeze’ about whatever is going on at home, at work, what is happening in the news, plans for the weekend, etc… The conversations can go in any direction and this exposes us all to new vocabulary and ways to phrase sentences.”C.L.G. Fhine Ghallainn (Fingallians G.A.A.) would like to say “Go raibh míle maith agat” to all that attended and supported the group through the 10 years and we hope that you benefited from the service. The group meets every Wednesday night at 9pm. Further info is available from Liam-086 3814422.

The first in-person fundraiser for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind since restrictions were lifted took place on 4th September and was a great success. The Portmarnock-Malahide branch of IGDB held its first Par 3 Fundraiser at the Malahide Castle Sports & Leisure Hub on 4th September, raising €5,520 in total through golf entries, donations, and raffle ticket sales.Event organiser Frank Kelly said “We are delighted that our first Par 3 event went so well, thanks to all of the golf teams who took part. We are very grateful for the support from local businesses who donated raffle prizes, and of course everyone who donated and bought raffle tickets on the day.”Pat Harney, Chair of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind Portmarnock-Malahide, said “It was fantastic to be able to get out and meet people locally again, and especially to see so much generosity and support for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. Congratulations to the Par 3 winners and everyone who took part!” New volunteers are always welcome to get involved with Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind. If you are interested in learning more, you can find the Portmarnock-Malahide branch on their Facebook page at IrishGuideDogsPortmarnock/Malahide.

Erica will be teaching a 6 week online yoga course aimed at beginners but all are welcome. She will guide you through a 1 hour class each week aimed at introducing you to the benefits of yoga through breath work, yoga postures and relaxation. Each week she will incorporate different postures and techniques helping you to feel more at ease in your body and mind. The postures or movements will be open level with modifications for those working with injuries and tightness to help you get the best from the class.You will need a yoga mat, and possibly a pillow and blanket for relaxation.If you are interested in starting something new for you or would like to join in to stretch out and feel good in your body, then join Erica on November 2.Course runs Tuesdays: November 2/9/16th at 10am for 6 weeks..All welcome.Registration is via the link yogasanctuary.ie/book-online/. Or contact the library direct. You will receive a zoom link in your booking confirmation email.

A super successful half-centenary Sea Scout Sailing Regatta took place recently on the Broadmeadows Estuary, Malahide. Well done to the x16 teams from Malahide, Howth, Dun Laoghaire, Dollymount and Arklow who all put in a fantastic effort under very testing and breezy conditions! Big thanks to the race officers (Roger and Sean from MYC) who managed to provide x46 safe and exciting races under two fleets which made for an excellent day of sailing! We’re very proud of our MSS sailors who displayed some excellent teamwork and sailing to take almost a full house of podium positions!Well done and thanks all for organising and participating.Team Racing:1st - 9th Port Malahide (Néala), 2nd - 9th Port Malahide (Wed), 3rd - 9th Port Malahide (Lír) Seamanship Challenge:1st - 9th Port Malahide (Fri), 2nd - 9th Port Malahide (Wed), 3rd - 9th Port Malahide (Néala) Scouters/ Rovers Race: 1st - 9th Port Malahide (Fri), 2nd - 9th Port Malahide (Néala), 3rd - 9th Port Malahide (Wed), Albatross Race: 1st - Arklow Sea Scouts, 2nd - 9th Port Malahide (Néala) 3rd - 7th Port Howth (Tues)

For each of the past nineteen years the talented students of the Catherine Lawlor School of Art have been holding an Art Exhibition to raise funds to support local charities in the Dublin area, including an online exhibition, in November 2020, in the midst of the Covid Pandemic.This year, Catherine is delighted to be hosting the Catherine Lawlor School of Art – Juliette Gallery Art Exhibition. This exhibition is close to Catherine’s heart as it will be held in memory of her dear mother, Juliette. The Juliette Gallery Art Exhibition will be held on 12th – 14th November, 2021 in Malahide Tennis Club from 10am to 6.00pm. This promises to be a most exciting and entertaining event. It will include an exhibition of a wonderful selection of over 60 pieces of art work on show. It will offer a great opportunity to meet the artists, talk to them about their work and possibly commission an original piece for yourself or as a gift.All paintings on display at the event will also be available to view on Catherine’s website at dublinartclasses.com in the online Juliette Gallery.Check out the website too for the calendar of events, classes, workshops, guided gallery visits, students’ art work and details regarding trips at home and abroad. All levels are catered for in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere online on Zoom and face to face in Balgriffin Hall, Malahide Road. Catherine is an inspiring teacher who provides numerous opportunities for all students to develop. This dynamic school of art is the largest on the northside of Dublin.

Fingal County Council and ubitricity, a member of the Shell Group, have partnered to test new EV charging options for motorists in Fingal. As part of the joint pilot scheme, ubitricity has recently retrofitted two lamp posts in Malahide village with its EV chargers that are stored inside the post. Fingal County Council will cover the costs of using the chargers during the initial trial, later moving to pay-per-use model. Ubitricity is the largest public EV charge point operator in the UK, and the two lamp posts located next to Malahide Garda Station and Train Station are its first charge points in Ireland. By offering a public charging solution for residents without access to off-street parking like a private garage, ubitricity’s objective is to charge EVs when and where they park: overnight and on the street right at their doorstep. Drivers can charge without the need for a subscription by simply scanning the QR code and following the instructions.An amendment to the Planning and Development Act in March 2020 extended the use of street lighting poles to include EV charging, enabling the lamp post charging pilot project. To make the transition towards more sustainable transportation easier for Fingal residents, the Council decided to test solutions that would allow on-street parking EV-drivers to charge right where they are parking. The participation and feedback of the local residents will be key to defining the future strategy for rollout of charging infrastructure across Fingal.Fingal County Council is committed to finding the best solution for its residents and expects testing of the ubitricity solution to be very successful.