Ballyboughal Pitch & Putt Club are Fingal and East Meath Champions for the second year in a row. The competition held at Ring Common Pitch & Putt Club recently, was closely fought out throughout the Competition and up until the evening of the Final. East Meath opposition, Bellewstown, had a narrow half-point lead coming into the Final, in front of Ballyboughal Team A, with Skerries/Laytown following closely with only a point and half in the difference from the table toppers But it was Ballyboughal with three wins and a draw that rose up the table so unlike previous years in this competition, no play-off was needed.Ballyboughal and Ring Commons had entered two teams into the Competition, allowing for more players to take part and following Covid Guidelines for the Safe Return to Sport. It was Bllyboughal’s Team A that were victorious. Their Captain Jimmy Browne was delighted to accept the trophy from Fingal Mayor Councillor Seána Ó Rodaigh, who gave her support to the competition on the night.“It’s great to have teams from Fingal and East Meath taking part and for the Fingal Sports Office to provide support” said the Mayor “the social aspect of this competition is so important for all participants”. The competition, now in its sixth year, was created by Ballyboughal Stalwart Ronnie Delaney, with the support of the Fingal Sports Development Officer, Caitriona Geraghty. The Fingal & East Meath Pitch Putt Championship was established back in 2015 to promote the game of Pitch & Putt in Fingal.“It has become a permanent fixture in the Fingal Sports Calendar, and this is in no small effort to the great work done by Ronnie Delaney”, said Caitríona Geraghty, Fingal Sports Development Officer” stated “even a Global Pandemic wouldn’t stop him from holding this competition”.
Balbriggan & District Historical Society are delighted to celebrate this significant milestone however all celebrations are restricted of course at this time. Jim Walsh Librarian at the time and his colleague Don Griffin worked 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.Our society was inaugurated on Thursday 16th July 1981 with the name of Balbriggan Historical and Cultural Society – Cumann Stair agus Cultúir Bhaile Brigin and the main aims were 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 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 an 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 interest. . May 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 and there are still a small amount of the beautiful Commemorative Medals available. We are still very determined to find a Museum building to house our significant artefacts and historical items – who knows somewhere on Bremore Castle site may yet be an option? To anyone who has attended our talks and seminars, our historical walkabouts, our summer tours, our school’s 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.Balbriggan Historical Society can be contacted at Balbrigganhistsoc@gmail.com
The Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Daniel Whooley, launched the second part of The Weather Stations for Schools project yesterday at the Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School when he presented Third Class with the first of the automatic weather stations that are being rolled out to primary schools across Fingal.Primary Schools in Fingal had the opportunity to apply for an automatic weather station which produce real time information about rainfall, temperature, wind speed and wind direction. There were 42 applications from which 16 were chosen. Cllr Whooley said: “It was fantastic to officially launch the second phase of the Weather Stations for Schools project and present the class with the automatic weather station today. This initiative is being supported by the Chief Executive’s Innovation Fund, set up January this year by the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council AnnMarie Farrelly. Ms Farrelly said: “This is the first of four projects to be launched from the Innovation Fund this year. The Innovation fund was launched to facilitate staff submitting original ideas that can bring greater value to the Council. The Weather Stations for Schools project is a great initiative that will not only provide valuable information, but it will also help to promote an appreciation of the water cycle and climate change challenges faced by the community.” Sarah Gallagher, Head of Observations at Met Éireann, said: “Met Éireann are very supportive of the Weather Stations for Schools project. Schools can easily enter rainfall measurement and other weather information collected from their weather stations onto Met Éireann’s Weather Observations Website, WOW-IE.” The Champion Schools in our catchment are:Balbriggan Local Electoral Are- St Patrick’s SNS, Skerries and St Oliver Plunkett’s, Balrothery, Rush-Lusk Local Electoral Area - Rush and Lusk Educate Together National School and Naul National School,Howth-Malahide Local Electoral Area - Oliver Plunkett’s Primary School, Malahide, and in Swords Local Electoral Area - St Colmcille’s BNS, Swords,Holy Family SNS, River Valley, and Thornleigh Educate Together National School, Applewood.
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.