In our digital world it can be difficult for a person with low vision or blindness to use social media. ‘Jaws’ is a screen reader used by many including Guide Dog owner Tom O’Neill from Balbriggan, Co Dublin. In their video, Guide Dogs Australia highlight 3 important tips we should be familiar with.

Tip 1: Good Punctuation. Use a full stop at the end of a sentence or phrase to indicate to ascreen reader the end of the text. Example: Irish Guide Dogs. When using a symbol such as @ in an email address, each separate word should be capitalised. Example: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com otherwise the screen reader sees a jumble of letters guidedogsbalbriggan@gmail.com.

Tip 2: High Contrast. Some eye conditions distort a person’s view of things, so colours used are important. A yellow line on a white background can be very difficult to see but a yellow line on a black background is easier to see. Use geometric shapes on advertisements.Example: A large black arrow on a white background could be used to point out important information. In Australia they use large black and white arrows to indicate where the door on a tram is. We could do something similar in Ireland on buses, Luas, DART and trains.

Tip 3: Be open and flexible. If approached by someone with low vision or blindness for help, listen to them and work out a solution to the problem together. Be open to new ideas. For any further information Contact us by phone/text: 085 7663107. Email :: GuideDogsBalbriggan@gmail.com or. Facebook uus on ouur facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Balbriggan.Branch.of.Guide.Dogs.

Our thanks for these great pictures from Theresa Gannon Junior Convenor for the club of the Fingal Boys Final hosted in Balbriggan very recently. Congratulations to Portmarnock GC. The overall winners on the day were Portmarnock with Beaverstown and very close second. Rory Callaghan won best gross on the day. The cadets are playing this evening in the Cadets End of Year scramble, accompanied by the Captains and vice Captains and others a great way to cap off a very successful season , A great days golf in BGC. Well done again to all concerned.

Europe Direct Blanchardstown has published a series of video interviews on the topic of the EU Digital Covid Certificate.The aim of the interview series is to inform the public as to the purpose of the certificate and how it can be used to facilitate travel within the European Union. The interviews were organised by Europe Direct Manager Siobhan Walshe and recorded by Assistant Coordinator Barry O’Carroll.There were three interviewees in total:Barbara Nolan– Head of the European Commission Representation in Ireland.Barbara discussed the Digital Covid Certificate from an EU perspective including the purpose of the certificate and how it will facilitate travel within the EU. Ossian Smyth - Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Minister Smyth spoke about the practical aspects of the certificate: how to obtain one; who is entitled to one and the format of the certificate.Siobhan O’Donnell- Head of External Communications, Dublin Airport Siobhan discussed how the Digital Covid Certificate would work in practice at Dublin Airport as well as practical advice for those intending to travel by air in the coming weeks and months.The full series of interviews is available to watch on the Fingal Libraries YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhLZ_o7ug6_9PXKZ-VxDG9S6lXiUTw0IO. Betty Boardman, County Librarian said: “We are very grateful to Minister Ossian Smyth, Barbara Nolan and Siobhan O’Donnell for taking part in this series of interviews.Now that travel abroad has opened again, it is very important that those travelling are aware that the Digital COVID Certificate will help them to travel safely and more easily within the EU during the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews organised by staff at the Europe Direct Centre at Blanchardstown Library contain trustworthy, up to date information from reliable sources”

Our society was inaugurated on Thursday 16th July 1981 with the aim to promote an interest in the local history of the area through lectures, publications and exhibitions and also to establish a Museum in the Balbriggan District.The idea was born in the Balbriggan Library as a result of the keen interest and demand for local history information from the general public. Jim Walsh Librarian at the time became aware of the vast amount of material available in various areas like the National Library of Ireland, Gilbert Library and other Dublin City resources and sought to ensure that a lot of this could be made more accessible by public presentations, local exhibitions and ultimately publications specific to the historic area of Balbriggan and its general surrounding areas. Jim’s colleague Don Griffin worked closely with him and they were joined on the first committee by Michael Banim, Antonia Cassin, Pauline Corcoran, Marion Crane, Bernie Healy, Eileen McKenna and last but not least May and Pat McKeon.The first ever presentation was ‘The Gaelic Placenames of Fingal’ by Brendan Scally and was followed by Bob Browne- The building of the Dublin-Drogheda Railway –1838-1844.Next was Christy Geraghty with illustrated lecture of Local Shipwrecks with particular reference to Sarah of Runcorn (1873) and Bell Hill (1875).In 1982 the Committee decided to hold an exhibition in the Grand Hotel and exceeded all expectations in terms of both participation and also attendance. We were delighted by the generosity of the populace who gladly donated many items of historical and familial interestMay McKeon remembers with fondness some of the talks on the ‘Balbriggan flyer’ Harry Reynolds, Balbriggan’s daughter Sinead Bean De Valera nee Flanagan and several talks covering the 1916 events in Fingal.Of particular pride to May is also the event organised in 2017 to commemorate the hugely important Siege of Jadotville in the Congo in 1961 and the heroic efforts of Balbriggan native Pte Terence Joseph McMahon. One particular source of pride to Chairperson Brian Howley is the enormous effort that the Committee undertook to ensure the Centenary of the Sack of Balbriggan last year 2020 would have a fitting and appropriately respectful commemoration despite all of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and our Seminar was posted online on Youtube for all to see and experience and there are still a small amount of the beautiful Commemorative Medals available.To anyone who has attended our talks, seminars, historical walkabouts, summer tours or our schools programmes Brian says that we thank you most sincerely for all of your support and we look forward to the next 40 years with great positivity and enthusiasm. Learn more on our Website www.Balbrigganhistory.com

We set up Fingal Jazz Impro Group over two years ago and are currently looking for a rhythm section to compliment our line up. We are currently looking for Drums, Bass, Piano and Guitarist, and must be able to read a lead sheet (except the drummer). Rehearsals will re-commence in September on Thursday evenings in Balbriggan. For further information contact Antony on 0857836404 or by email at aoflaherty1234@gmail.comWe are also setting up an Opera Group, and it will be called Fingal Opera Group. We are currently looking for Male Singers. Singers must be Classical Trained or currently have singing lessons. Please note there is also a waiting list for Female Singers. Rehearsals will commence in September in Balbriggan on Monday or Wednesday evenings.For further information contact Antony on 0857836404 or by email at aoflaherty1234@gmail.com Finally, we are also currently organising the Balbriggan Diversity Festival which will take place every May Bank Holiday weekend. We already have venues booked, and most acts booked.

In the months of April to July Foroige Balbriggan Youth Services established three youth groups, two junior and one senior, from the Pinewood/ Castlelands area. During these months, due to government guidelines under the current restrictions all our youth work needed to take place outdoors. Balbriggan Meals and Wheels on Hampton Street generously offered the yard behind their premises as a base for the groups to meet weekly to take part in clubs and week long summer activity programmes.As a thank you Foroige Balbriggan worked with the young people in the area to create a vibrant mural and pollinator planters in the yard for the volunteers of Balbriggan Meals and Wheels to enjoy all year round.This project was part of a national week-long event of Foroige organised Youth Community Action events such as litter picks, painting and planting. Foróige is the leading youth organisation in Ireland and has been working with young people since 1952. Our purpose is to enable young people to involve themselves consciously and actively in their development and in the development of society. If you are a group or indeed an individual and would like more information about the work Foroige do in Balbriggan please contact the Foróige Senior Youth Officer Aine Mc Guinness for more information, which she will be happy to supply to you. @ aine.mcguinness@foroige.ie.

Meanwhile Balbriggan Meals on Wheels were also delighted with the murals that the Fingal Lighthouse Art Group did at the back of their kitchen area and want to say a big thank you to all involved. Fingal Lighthouse Art Group is a Not for Profit Art Group. Founded in April 2019, this art group helps those Artists without a platform to display their work. To become an associate member, contact Bernie on 086 817 1518.

Well done to Joanne Fulham and the Glasmore residence who were out in force prepping the Rathbeale Rd entrance to their estate for a Frontline Workers Commemmorative Garden. With €3000 worth of plants, shrubs and trees on order it should look the business. We also want to recognise and thank Alla who takes care of our poly tunnel and recently took advantage of the good weather to work on our patch on North St. Great work Alla well done. Not forgetting our members Billy, Grace and Georgy who were out weeding at the Malahide roundabout recently, played a scorcher guys if you will excuse the pun.

St John Ambulance is an international humanitarian organisation with over 500 000 volunteers in over 20 different countries. We have been providing First Aid cover and First Aid Training Courses in Ireland for over 100 years. For further information on our organisation, please click the images below.In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have developed an Instructor-led ‘First Aid and COVID-19 in the workplace’ online course. Swords Adult Division meets every Thursday evening from 2000-2200, Cadets meet every Wednesday evening from 1900-2100, both in Holywell Community Centre in Swords. We operate 1 ambulance, First Aid tent and a Cycle Response Unit. We cover many events, including Croke P ark, Dublin Zoo, Motorcross, RDS, Aviva Stadium, Local football events, local races and more. We also provide first aid courses in First Aid Response , Emergency First Aid, Baby and Toddler First Aid and more. Swords Division was established in 2014. Since the 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. If you want to know more please contact: St John Ambulance Ireland, 29 Upper Leeson Streeet, Dublin 4, Ireland | Tel: (0)1 668 8077.

The Swords Cultural Quarter has taken a major step forward with the appointment of the integrated design team which will be led by award-winning architects O’Donnell and Tuomey.The announcement was made recently at a meeting of Fingal County Council by County Architect Fionnuala May when she gave councillors an update on the project.With the design team now in place, the project, which was launched in 2016, will now proceed at pace with the Council intending to initiate a Part 8 planning public consultation process in May 2022. The project is expected to go to tender in April 2023 with construction works scheduled to commence in Quarter 3 of 2023. The Civic and Cultural Centre will be the first part of the project to be constructed and is expected to take 24 months to complete.The Swords Cultural Quarter will be located in the civic heart of Fingal’s County Town and will be a major new public and civic space with the new Civic and Cultural Centre and a Hub Building sitting alongside the existing Fingal County Council Offices and historic Swords Castle at the junction of North Street and Seatown Road.The Civic and Cultural Centre will be at the core of the Swords Cultural Quarter and will include a library space, performance venue and arts venue with a number of support facilities that can be utilised for artistic, cultural and community needs.The Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Seána Ó Rodaigh, said: “This is great news for Swords and Fingal as this is a flagship project for the county. The objective of the Swords Cultural Quarter project is to energise this area of Swords in order to make a balanced town that provides places, buildings and spaces for both cultural and economic activity for all its citizens and to create a new sense of place.” Established in 1988, O’Donnell and Tuomey is an award-winning architectural practice led by Sheila O’Donnell and John Tuomey, with studios based in Dublin, Cork and London. They have received over 120 national and international awards for their completed buildings.

Malahide Cricket Club is a historic club situated in the seaside town of Malahide, right on the idyllic grounds of Malahide Castle. Formed in 1861, the club now boasts 2 playing pitches, one of which serves as the International ground for our national team Cricket Ireland, a comfortable and cosy clubhouse and bar open 7 days a week which is available for event hire.This family and friendly oriented club has teams suitable for all ages, with 5 men’s teams playing in Division 2 through to Division 13, 2 women’s teams who play in Division 1 and 2, 8 boy’s teams from Under 11 to Under 17, 4 girls teams from Under 11 to Under 17 and a Taverners/ Social team. We also run an Easter Camp and two Summer Camps for girls and boys aged between 6 – 13 years of age. Details for these can be found on our website.The ground hosts club games, inter-provincial games and various international fixtures drawing large crowds and social activities, the largest being in 2013 when approximately 10,000 people were in attendance for the Ireland vs England one day international.Malahide Cricket Club is a welcoming environment open to new memberships all year round (including family and overseas memberships). We are easy to find, just a stone’s throw away from Malahide Train Station and Village, easily accessible by Dublin Bus, and only 10 minutes away from Dublin Airport. You can contact us by phone on 087-4190148 or email us at shaker676@gmail.com