As part of Fingal County Council’s Commemorations programme 2018-2023 Fingal County Council’s Arts Office in association with The Irish Writers Centre recently presented – A Burning Tide – A New Commissioned Writing & Film Commission as part of Culture Night 2021, held on 17th of September 2021 at Loughshinny Boathouse. The Film is based on the writers interpretation of this historical fact. At the stroke of midnight on 18th June 1921, six Coast Guard stations on the North Dublin coast were silently approached by groups of IRA Men ready to undertake a simultaneous attack. The reason for these attacks was to secure a landing place for a shipment of arms which were being smuggled from the U.S. aboard the freighter East Side. It had been meticulously planned – the raiding parties lay in wait having cut the telephone wires to ensure no one could raise the alarm. When zero hour arrived, they rushed into stations up and down the coast, taking the Coast Guards by surprise. The Guards and their families, who lived onsite, were told to leave immediately and the stations were set alight. As dawn broke the following morning, flames were still licking what was left of the stations at Skerries, Loughshinny, Rush, Rogerstown, Portrane and Robswall. The film weaves the narratives from each new piece of writing into a series of vignettes where we see the stories unfold to create visible characters who bring us back to the events leading to the night and its aftermath in Ireland. Rory O’Byrne County Arts Officer, said “There is something about the visible qualities of the largely unchanged Fingal Coastline, where the events of the night of the 18th of June 1921, took place. The eyewitness reports prompt the imagination to fill in the gaps of the story, a small boat containing guns rowing into Loughshinny, the visual of two men saving a piano from the fire and the agreements made to start it so that nobody was harmed could only be satisfied by a writer’s mind.”.

Remember Us’ ran a 6 week outdoor Summer camp for their 4 – 17 year olds two days per week and a six week camp 1 night on zoom and Saturday outings for their adult members this year.Activities included Teddy bears picnic, Newbridge farm, walk, games and picnic in Malahide Castle, Beach day, Scavenger hunt, trip to St.Anns Park, T-shirt design, sensory games, teddy bear making, Zoom Bingo, Zoom fitness, and much more As you will see from the photos of our members smiling they really enjoyed it.A massive thanks to all our CE/TUS placements and our volunteers for all their help and support during the Summer and of course through out the last 18 months. It is very much appreciated.Our members are excited as we are resuming our club activities this week although be it on Zoom for the next two weeks. We will also have outdoor Saturday outings.Upcoming activities include Zoom Bingo, Zoom Magic show, Remember us mini Olympics, Zoom Dance, Zoom Arts n Crafts, trip to Malahide Castle fairy trail and Garden, Den time, kids on the go fitness session, trip to the cinema and much more.As we have had little or no fundraising over the past 18 months we would be really grateful for any donations no matter how big or small. Check out our Website for how to donate. www.rememberus.ie. (NB: Not accessible through here) We are also looking for new volunteers. If you have 2hrs to spare per week we would love to hear from you. Why not give us a call on 0860457003 or email us on hello@rememberus.ie.

Friday 15th October from 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM

Balbriggan Meals on Wheels is holding a special Pop up Shop for all things Halloween! So pop down to the rear of 14 Hampton Street, Balbriggan and pick up your Halloween decorations, costumes etc. Friday 15th October 10.00am to 1.00pm.All proceeds raised go towards Balbriggan Meals on Wheels. Balbriggan Meals on Wheels Mprovides meals to the most vulnerable people in our community; they are people who are referred to us by Public Health Nurses and Social Workers. We operate six days per week and currently provide in the region of 80-100 meals per day in the wider Balbriggan Community.

Congratulations to our Swords Celtic 11 Premiers who won the Kells Cup recently. They beat St.Kevins in the last 16 and Cherry Orchard in the Semi Final on their way to victory. Well done boys! Here are a few pics taken on the day of the brillant victory.

‘An Ghaeltacht’ came to Swords between the 9th and 13th of August 2021 when Fingallians GAA hosted their inaugural Irish language summer camp or ‘Club Samhraidh C.L.G. Fhine Ghallainn’ (Fingallians GAA Summer Club). 124 primary school children participated in the sports camp that was conducted exclusively through the medium of the Irish language.The club’s Irish language officer Liam Ó Culbáird said “We were taken aback by the demand that was there. All available places on the course were taken up very quickly. We had 124 youngsters playing football and hurling go h-iomlán trí Ghaeilge. The demand shows the success and popularity of Irish language education and Fingallians GAA are very happy to be able to support that by providing services through Irish. We had a mix of kids from both Gaelscoileanna and non-Irish language schools. This added to the camp in that some participants were learning through immersion and others were delighted to share their knowledge. The camp’s popularity reflects the surge in recent years of interest in the Irish language in Dublin. All the coaches and helpers on the course were Gaeilgeoirí from within the club. For 2022 we intend to expand the Club Samhraidh to cater for children across the Fingal region.”Coaching supervisor Donagh Williams said “As an Irish language speaker, it was a privilege to be able to offer this service to the young athletes of Swords. It was a great achievement to run the Club Samhraidh with such large numbers in our first year. We are grateful to the coaches, helpers, parents and of course the participants themselves. Next week is ‘Heritage Week’ and our sport and language are central parts of Irish heritage. We look forward to being “níos mó agus níos fearr” (bigger and better) next year.Fingallians GAA have received clú agus cáil (fame) within the GAA and further afield for their promotion of the language and sports areas of Irish Heritage.

The Town of Swords has grown a lot in the past few years and Swords Tidy Towns has grown along with it. We were lucky at the start to have had such great mentors to guide us on our way who have sadly since passed, Margaret Thorpe, Joan Hunt, Des Becton, Margaret O’Reilly to name but a few.We have managed over the years to knit together a fantastic enthusiastic bunch of people who are eager to get stuck in and share their particular skill sets. Individuals have even taken on particular Liaison Officer positions in the areas of Resident Associations, Bio Diversity, Schools and Clubs, Planting Planning, Fund Raising, Poly Tunnel Maintenance etc.For a number of years, we have worked with the Fingal Leader Partnership and The Valley Project on their back to work job experience initiatives. We currently have two from each scheme working with us at the moment, our chairperson was invited to sit on both boards which he does in a voluntary capacity. Swords Tidy Towns has over the years worked closely on local projects with Fingal County Council (particularly the Operations Dept), Dublin Airport Authority, SuperValu Boroimhe, Nulty Landscaping, SK Biotek, MSD Biotech, Hertz, The Pavilions SC, The Castle SC, Peter O’Brien Landscaping, Swords has benefited greatly from each of these joint initiatives and will do so we are confident into the future.We would ask people to respect the trojan voluntary work our members put in keeping your town looking as beautiful as it does by binning your rubbish or taking it home if bins are full or unavailable. The judges are watching, we are seeking our first gold medal in the National Tidy Towns Competition, you don’t have to be a member to be a part of the Swords Tidy Towns team.

Have a look at our pictures which show some recent events at which we have been providing/assisting with event medical cover. If yo are involved in any organisation and need medical cover for an event, email us swords@stjohn.ie or call 0830943324 or 0872559417.We can provide: Ambulance, First Aid Tent (Small), Cycle Response Unit, First Aid patrol, EMT, Paramedic and Nurse. Why not make a note of our contact details in case your group needs medical cover in the near future.

We at Malahide United are hoping to create a new Girls Under 10’s and Under 9’s team in September to take part in the MGL League. Contact Simon @ 0879744498 or email simononeill@malahideunited.ie

We were delighted to visit the Wednesday troop summer camp this evening in Cavan. Although slightly different to normal summer camps with Covid tests on arrival, individual tents and separate pods it is fantastic to see them all in such good form enjoying a great camp. Well done to skipper Cameron and his team of leaders for putting in all the extra effort to run a camp in the current circumstances.

Fingal County Council has welcomed a recent High Court decision to refuse an application for an injunction to reverse the pedestrianisation of New Street in Malahide. The judicial review proceedings are to be dealt with at a later date.The Council pedestrianised New Street to provide a safe outdoor space which facilitated social distancing and outdoor dining in line with Government policy and NPHET recommendations around living with Covid-19. The result was a safe environment for the community to enjoy and go about their daily business, an opportunity for local businesses to operate under Covid-19 conditions and a Pedestrian Friendly, Age Friendly, Family Friendly and Cyclist Friendly Zone.The Council is currently considering permanent public realm enhancements at New Street for the benefit of the community and business. The Council has already committed to further consultation in this regard.