A new cross-border partnership established to foster economic growth along the key strategic route between Dublin and Belfast has announced its inaugural political leadership team who will help drive employment opportunities, address barriers impacting trade and encourage the delivery of better transport infrastructure.Cllr Pete Byrne from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in Northern Ireland was elected as Chair of the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor (DBEC) Oversight Board, a body made up of councillors from the eight local authorities along the corridor. Mayor of Fingal Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh was named Deputy Chair.Speaking at DBEC’s first Oversight Board meeting, Deputy Chair Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh said: “Alongside the obvious social and economic benefits of closer cross border collaboration in order to develop the corridor, what we are looking to help drive is greater inward investment, the boosting of trade opportunities for local businesses, increased production in key sectors and higher employment. This will be increasing important as the population along the corridor continues to grow.”Welcoming the new appointments, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council, AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Since DBEC was launched earlier this year there has been a great deal of cooperation and collaboration going on between councils to ensure we can capitalise on the support this initiative has received from all levels of Government. Fingal is in a strong position to benefit from the joint effort to drive this key economic corridor forward, and we are working to identify new opportunities which can help boost connectivity, enable innovation, generate jobs and foster greater socio-economic growth.” New DBEC Chair Cllr Pete Byrne said: “We have a real opportunity through the work of DBEC to deliver jobs and sustainable growth along what is a major economic pipeline for the whole of the island. There is a rich and diverse range of sectors and a large number of businesses which we can help to grow, be it in Agri-Food, financial services, tourism, high tech manufacturing or construction.”

2021 was another difficult year, however through your help and support your local branch has raised €25,620.98 (end November). Facebook fundraiser by Balbriggan Feis organisers, members, dancers and supporters raised €966.25. Other Facebook fundraisers brought in €449. The #100K challenge for Guide Dog Day raised €6,520. Thankfully in November, we were able to get out into the community. SuperValu Balbriggan, on the 5th & 6th November was our first event. We had our new SumUp machine which allowed payments through credit cards and laser. Through your generosity €1,763 was raised. Next it was Millfield Shopping Centre, on the 12th & 13th November, when €1,693 was raised. We were nominated in the Tesco Community fund and received a cheque for €343. Thank you, Tesco and Lisa. Santa’s Grotto returned to Millfield Shopping Centre, in association with Specsavers. Donations from everyone who visited Santa are still coming in. On the 5th and 12th December, we participated in the Bremore Castle Food and Craft Village Christmas event. Money raised will be advised in next month’s piece. A massive ‘Thank you’ to all our volunteers and to everyone who supported us. Our counter boxes and large collection dogs located around Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk and other North Co Dublin towns brought in €8,636.88. In February the new Tap to Donate €3 machine arrived in Specsavers and has raised €1,167. Thanks to Brian Brodigan, Specsavers Balbriggan, the Tap to Donate €3 machines have been rolled out through other Specsavers locations and all are doing well. Puppy in training Adel will celebrate her 1st birthday on the 29th January. Guide Dog owner Andy, who’s guide dog Nico retired during 2021, has qualified with a new guide dog Yorkie. Yorkie is a brother of Yarrow who Anne Mulligan puppy raised. We look forward to hearing more about this new partnership during the year. Everyone in your local branch wishes you all a safe and happy 2022 and we hope to see you throughout the year. Events will be posted online at facebook.com/Balbriggan.Branch.of.Guide.Dogs

Training at St. Mary’s Baton Twirlers returned in mid September and ran for approximately 10 weeks and we welcomed back many of our athletes and some new ones too.The focus for this period was primarily on improving personal fitness and worked on solo dance and freestyle routines.It was great to see everyone and get back to some normality.However, it was with heavy hearts that the coaches made a decision to have our last session for 2021 on Wed 24th Nov. We wanted our athletes to have a joyful end to their year, and so everyone wore their Christmas jumpers or pjs and we had our annual Christmas raffle. Many thanks to all the parents for their support.Each athlete got a selection box before they went home.We wish all our members and their families a very Happy and Safe Christmas and New Year. All going well we will return to training in January 2022. For more information about St. Marys Baton Twirlers please message our Facebook page or text 086 3270636.

Episode 5 Louise Mulcahy

Fingal County Council’s Arts Office presents ‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ Episode 5 featuring Louise Mulcahy.‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ sees acclaimed broadcaster Donal Dineen take us on a deep exploration of music in the company of some of the finest music makers in the land. Together they will tell the story of their sound, the songs, the instruments and their connection to them. In each series they will perform at THE HIDE SCULPTURE, a sculpture by artist Garrett Phelan that invites contemplation and deep listening. It is located along the Rogerstown Estuary, North County Dublin and home to a diverse population of resident and migrating birds that have chosen this place as their home. Once Upon a Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE is delighted to present Episode 5 – Louise Mulcahy. Donal Dineen describes the series and introduces Louise saying “The whole intention behind the Once Upon A Sound series is to get a look inside that special space which exists between a musician and their instrument. This is where the magic happens and each instalment thus far has brought us closer to the alchemy.In Episode Five we finally get to examine in detail the singular magic of the Uilleann Pipes with master piper Louise Mulcahy who was born into a musical family in Abbeyfeale, County Limerick.A veteran of several highly acclaimed albums and a multi award-winner, Louise’s repertoire is as broad and discerning as her instrumental virtuosity.The Council are delighted to present these episodes of ‘Once Upon A Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ with Donal Dineen who represents integrity and seriousness to his core audience, many of whom have developed their musical knowledge with him over many years. Donal is a consistent in his commitment to connect, understand and introduce to new perspectives on music to audiences for over two decades. ‘Once Upon a Sound at THE HIDE SCULPTURE’ featuring Louise Mulcahy can be viewed at vimeo.com/652500500 and will be available to view on Fingal Arts Vimeo and thehideproject.com where you can also catch up on the series so far with stunning performances by Liam Ó Maonlaí Anna Mieke, Niwel Tsumbu & Cormac Begley.

Significant investment has been secured for Fingal projects at the most recent Dublin Rural LEADER Approvals Meeting. The Dublin Rural LEADER Local Action Group, which oversees the Programme in Dublin, approved €230,748.76 in funding for 5 new projects in Rural Dublin at its November Online Meeting. This brings the total number of projects approved during the LEADER Transition Programme to 15 since it began on April 1st, 2021, with a total value of €543,984.52. The approved projects are in the areas of Economic Development, Rural Environment and Social Inclusion. Fingal LEADER Partnership CEO, Eilish Harrington, welcomed the approval of the 5 projects. “All were excellent projects enhancing services in the rural towns and villages of Fingal. It’s great to see communities benefiting from LEADER funding to help develop and grow their amenities, especially during the difficult times we are all currently in. I would encourage more rural communities and businesses to contact LEADER to avail of the remaining funds during the next 14 months.” Amongst the projects approved for funding are: Balbriggan Meals on Wheels which is approved for €24,063.75 for an outdoor dining area which will be of enormous help to facilitate the provision of meals to their clients in a safe outdoor setting. Donabate Portrane Community Centre CLG which is approved for €24,354.00 for a feasibility study to capture the needs of existing groups that use the facilities to assist and guide them in expanding in line with community needs.Also St Maur’s GAA Club Rush which is approved for €89,154.58 to install rainwater harvesting and irrigation in St Maur’s GAA Club premises and for use on the pitches. The Project will reduce the demand on the public water supply and reduce the volume of water going into the public drainage system. Welcoming the latest funding announcement, the Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Seána Ó Rodaigh said “I would like to thank the Local Action Group for its support of these Fingal Projects which will enable the continued development of sustainable communities in our rural areas’’.

Ten local social enterprises in Fingal including two from Balbriggan have been awarded over €37,000 in funding by the Department of Rural and Community Development to help them with their capital costs.The small grants were announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD as part of a €1 million fund to support 247 Social Enterprises across Ireland. The Fingal Local Community Development Committee (LCDC) will be distributing the funding to the ten Fingal social enterprises on behalf of the Department.Social enterprises are businesses that work primarily to improve the lives of people. Their core objective is to achieve a social, societal, or environmental impact. Like other businesses, social enterprises pursue their objectives by trading in goods and services on an ongoing basis. Welcoming the announcement, Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Social Enterprises have a positive effect on society and play an important role within the local community. They are helping to develop solutions to some of Fingal’s most pressing social issues by creating jobs, tackling disadvantage and supporting community development “ The grants under this scheme will particularly benefit smaller or start-up social enterprises who do not have ready access to essential funding that can help them to upgrade or purchase additional equipment in order for them to help deliver services to those most in need.” Minister Humphreys said: “This funding will assist almost 250 Social Enterprises with specific costs in relation to their facilities. In some cases, it will cover the cost of fixing a leaky roof or putting in a new kitchen. The grants may be small in nature, but I know they will greatly assist Social Enterprises the length and breadth of the country who have continued to serve their communities through the Pandemic.”Balbriggan Community Childcare received €825 and Balbriggan Men’s Shed received €2,746.

Congratulations to the Fingallians Hurlers and Mentors on beating Erins Isle to win the Dublin Go Ahead Intermediate Hurling Championship recently with a scoreline of 1-18 to 0-10 points. It was an absolutely fantastic display of hurling throughout the game and it goes to show that all the hard work and early morning training sessions have paid off.

With all sport back in action, Swords Tennis Club has celebrated a return to the courts by being presented with a Tennis Ireland Bronze Clubmark Award. The Award aims to identify, develop, accredit and recognise high quality tennis clubs in Ireland and their contribution to the development of tennis in Ireland. Mayor of Fingal Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh commented: “I would like to say a huge Comhghairdeas ó chroí libh to Swords Tennis Club on the Tennis Ireland Bronze Clubmark Award. The club committee and volunteers have put in a lot of time and hard work over the past number of months and years and this award celebrates that passion and dedication.”Presenting the Award, Shane Cook, President of Tennis Ireland said: “It was a great pleasure to present Swords Tennis Club with this accolade. Their enthusiasm and energy is infectious and shows how much the Club strives to be the best in its field.” Swords Tennis Club Chairperson Stephen Girvin commented: “What we thought might be an arduous task turned into one of the most rewarding club experiences. The process of putting together the requirements for the award, many of which we already had and guarded by former committee members, gave us a growing confidence in the way we were running the club.” Swords now takes its place amongst the other Tennis Ireland Clubmark accredited Fingal Tennis Clubs including Portmarnock Tennis Club, Donabate Portrane Tennis Club, Castleknock LTC, Sutton LTC, and Grove LTC. Tennis is a sport for life so if you are thinking of giving it a try, get in touch with the Fingal Tennis Development Officer to find out how you can get involved in your local area, Contact:tara.rdo@tennisireland.ie

It has been a very busy and fruitful 2021 for Swords Tidy Towns considering the country is going through a major pandemic. We worked on and completed our Frontline Workers Commemorative Garden. We linked up with both Fingal and Swords Community Colleges to accommodate 23 of their TY students each Saturday for a 20-week period. We were finalists in this year’s Pakman National Awards, our mural on the Brackenstown Road is on its way to completion. Swords Tidy Towns linked up with the Swords Woodland Association on a 3000-tree planting project. The Rock Garden on the Rathbeale Road which is a collaboration between ourselves and Fingal County Council achieved yet another Green Flag Award. The icing on the cake for us was winning yet again a Silver Medal in the National Tidy Towns Competition making it four in a row, maybe Gold next year, fingers crossed.Swords Tidy Towns are very grateful for all the financial support received through the year from local business, without whose generosity we would have had to cut back on our projects. Thanks must also go to Fingal County Council and the various Dept Heads who have worked with us and who have provided us with their expertise when needed. A big thanks to our local Public Representatives for always being there for us. Finally, to you the wonderful Joe Public who have at all times been complimentary to our members when out working on our streets and for doing the same on our Facebook and Twitter pages. It is the support we get from all of you that feeds us, uplifts us and empowers us to do better things. To all the aforementioned, the volunteers of Swords Tidy Towns wish you all A Very Happy Covid Free Christmas and New Year.

Cllr Darragh Butler said recently that, “ MetroLink has been in the news quite a lot in recent days and weeks and unlike the national media and many other commentators, I would like to take the positives out of what was announced. The good news is that the planning application should go in next year, 2022, better late than never and depending on permission being granted, if work could then potentially start by 2025 with a delivery as early as 2031, that would be as good as we could hope for at this stage and I’d do cartwheels down Swords Main Street if this could be delivered as media reports back in October were saying 2034 or later. The positive news is that MetroLink remains a committed part of the National Development Plan and I will continue to work as hard as I can to get this project back on track and delivered as soon as possible. In terms of COP26 and getting to net zero carbon omissions and achieving the 1.5C temperature goal set, MetroLink and other large scale transport projects are vital as part of these solutions, to get traffic off our roads and to make public transport more attractive to commuters.”