The Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA) is holding a 14-week public consultation on its draft recommendations regarding DAAs application to amend aircraft operating restrictions at Dublin Airport when the new north runway opens.The public consultation will inform ANCA’s final direction to the Planning Authority before it rules on daa’s application next year. ANCA’s recommendations are: (a) Introduce a Noise Abatement Objective for Dublin Airport - the first of its kind in Ireland – as a long-term plan to ensure best management of aircraft noise at the Airport. This will serve to dramatically reduce the long-term impact of aircraft noise by 30% by 2030, 40% by 2035 and 50% by 2040, compared to 2019 aircraft noise levels. They also plan to make three new conditions: (1) Noise Quota System – or noise budget - for night-time operations at Dublin Airport between 11pm and 7am; including a restriction on very loud aircraft flying at night. (2) Restrict flights on the new north runway between midnight and 6am (00:00 – 05:59). and (3) Provide a new Residential Sound Insulation Grant Scheme of up to €20k for residents most affected by night-time noise from Dublin Airport. The ANCA team will hold webinars and be available to engage with stakeholders during the consultation period which is running from 11th November 2021 to 28th February 2022.. ANCA has recorded a short video on the public consultation available at youtu.be/IZD2DeRidkE and registration has now opened for the first of a series of evening webinars where the public will have the opportunity to put their questions to the project team

As we approach year end, Balbriggan Meals on Wheels would like to thank, most sincerely, all those who supported the service throughout 2021. Huge thanks to all the volunteers and staff who enabled Meals on Wheels to continue providing meals despite the continuing challenges of Covid 19.In the run up to Christmas Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is seeking donations to help with the continuation of their service. You can help by making a monetary donation through the Balbriggan Meals on Wheels Facebook page or you can send your donation to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels, 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan.

You can also assist in the annual Food Drive in order to prepare hampers of food and essential items for distribution within the wider Balbriggan community. Donations of non-perishable foods and essential hygiene items can be brought to Balbriggan Meals on Wheels from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 1pm.Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is looking forward to continuing to provide meals for those in need in our community throughout 2022. They would like to wish all their service users and supporters all the very best wishes for Christmas and hope 2022 will be an easier year for everyone. Stay safe everyone over the festive period!

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels,
14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan.
Tel : 01 8416743
Email: mealsonwheelsbalbriggan@gmail.com

Balbriggan Woman Kathleen Byrne has written a wonderful book about her life growing up in Balbriggan , her experiences of entering a religious order and how it’s impacted her life since. A brilliant read and an insight into the life growing up in Balbriggan in the 40’s and 50’s. Born into an Irish Catholic family, Kathleen entered a religious order in France when she was 17 years old. Working and living in the prison of La Roquette, she was thrown into the Parisian underworld of crime, drugs and prostitution. Without any training and very little knowledge of the language, she struggled with homesickness, despair and loneliness. She found consolation in her faith and in knowing that she was doing God’s will. But was this enough to sustain her mental and physical strength? How did this experience affect her future? Years of living with low self-esteem, fear of God and authority, together with doubts in faith and religion took its toll. However, hoping and praying for better things to come, love found a way” The Book is available to buy online from Amazon and the Book depository.

Our Christmas cards, 8 in a pack of 4 different designs, (suggested donation) €6, 2 packs €10, calendar (suggested donation) €10, can be found in Balbriggan; Baxters Butchers, and Donal Hayes Chiropodist, Clonard St; Suds Laundrette, Drogheda St; Cuddles Pet Shop, Millfield Shopping Centre; Java the Hut, Balbriggan Business Campus, Harry Reynolds Road and Balbriggan Train Station; Jill’s Garden Centre, Barnageera. Skerries; McMeels Pharmacy and Oakes Pharmacy, Strand St; Skerries Hardware, Thomas Hand St; Stacks Pharmacy, Holmpatrick. Swords; Lissenhall Vets; Petstop, Airside Retail Park. Corduff; Irish Rosettes Pet Shop. ‘Yarrow’, puppy raised by local volunteer Anne Mulligan, is featured for May in our calendar with his temporary boarder Padraig Sheehan. Padraig tells us ‘My Grandfather lost his sight at 76. I witnessed first-hand the challenges facing visually impaired people. I’ve volunteered since 2015 and a dog stays with me during their training. On my way to work I leave the dog into the Training Centre and pick them up on my way home. Each dog has an unique personality. My last lodger was Yarrow, a gentle giant who is working wonders in his new home as an assistance dog. He is perfect for this role, so well behaved, placid and calm. He gives and loves cuddles. My latest lodger Nell, is half his size but twice the energy. A real pocket rocket who follows me everywhere around the house. Yarrow was happy to watch me pottering about until he thought food was involved! Though different they share many of the same traits, well behaved, obedient, attentive and calm on the lead. Nell is going to be an assistance dog too. During training each dog’s character is assessed and matched with a child and family which compliments both the dog and family, creating a perfect partnership. I love seeing their development throughout their training. Though sad and a little teary eyed, seeing them leave, I’m always so proud of them when they go on to change someone’s life. Both Yarrow and Nell benefitted from the love and attention their puppy raisers gave them.’Phone/text: 085 7663107. Email: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com Facebook Balbriggan.Branch.of.Guide.Dogs

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.